All You Need Is Love
by MrsEads
Summary: [Snickers] Chapter 42: The end.
1. The Proposal

Author's Note: This is my first fic. I've been reading for God-knows-how-long, writing this one over and over again, and trying and trying to work up the nerve to post. Reviews would be WONDERFUL, considering that that way, I'd know if it was even worth continuing. Well-rounded reviews would be nice, don't sugarcoat anything, but at the same time please don't open fire. I left my bulletproof vest in my other pants. Italics are flashbacks.

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI. Or George, for that matter. Just another sad fact I have to deal with every day.

Spoilers: Should be none, can take place anytime after Greg's promotion from lab rat to CSI. Warnings to come if need be.

He fidgeted nervously with his cufflinks. Why had he worn cufflinks? He hated cufflinks. They reminded him too much of his father. His father was the reason he'd moved to Las Vegas in the first place, he wanted to get out of his and his older brother's shadows. He fidgeted, knowing full well what he wanted to ask her, still terrified that she'd say no. Some part of him wanted to run into the men's room and pray to the porcelain god, a second part wanted to go through the plan with great gusto, because his mother had always taught him that anything worth doing was worth doing well, and yet another part wanted to forget the plan altogether and just enjoy the five-star restaurant that he'd needed to book five weeks in advance, just for tonight. Those five weeks were an eternity for Nick.

He could hardly keep from exploding; every time he saw her, he wanted to get down on one knee and pop the proverbial question. So why, when he had so perfectly planned this moment, couldn't he work up the nerve?

He'd practiced a thousand times with his sister Michele while she'd been in town. She was married; she knew how the perfect proposal should go. As strange as proposing to your sister may sound, he was very grateful. She'd helped him perfect it, all the while swearing not to tell their parents. Smiling, he remembered how he and Michele had always been partners in crime. They were the closest to each other. Lord knows how many times they'd bailed each other out, picking each other up drunk from parties, covering for each other when one snuck out of the house, always telling each other secrets, as odd as it may be for a girl and her younger brother. Nick knew that when Michele said she wouldn't tell, she wouldn't tell, and she could count on him for the same.

He couldn't really understand why, but he started thinking about his family. He missed them. For some reason, he started running through him family tree. Twins ran in his family, identical twins on his father's side, and fraternal twins on his mother's side. This, combined with the fact that everybody had huge families, made for a nightmare of a family tree.

The oldest of the seven, Ethan, was now forty-two, married to Jane, and they had five kids, Elizabeth and Dakota (identical twin girls) who were fifteen, Rachel and Anne (identical twin girls) who were twelve, and Vince, who was eight.

Ethan's twin sister, Michele, was married to Magnus, and they also had five kids. Charlie and Michael, identical twins, were thirteen, Duncan and Chad, fraternal twins, were ten, and Madison was nine.

Nick's next sister, Isabella, was forty, married to Ewan. They had four kids, fourteen-year old identical twins Daniel and David, and thirteen-year-old identical twins Lily and Layla.

The third girl, Flora, who was thirty-nine, was married to Peter. They had eight kids. Matthew and Dustin, twelve-year-old identical twins, Laura, eleven, Kyle and Molly, nine-year old fraternal twins, and Paul, Mitchell, and Lisa, who were six-year-old triplets. Paul and Mitchell were identical and Lisa was fraternal.

Lindsay, also thirty-nine and Flora's identical twin, was married to Simon. They had seven kids. They were also the only family not to have twins. Stephen (fourteen), Vivian (thirteen), Roberta (twelve), Alexandra (ten), Sheila (nine), Jessica (eight), and Thomas (five).

Stephanie, thirty-six and the closest in age to Nick, was married to Ryan. They had five girls, Jordana (nine), Dawn and Larissa (identical twins who were seven), Jasmine and Caroline (fraternal twins who were six), and a confirmed boy on the way that they planned to name Kiefer.

And then there was Nick, thirty-five, sitting here fidgeting with his cufflinks, preparing to ask the biggest question he might ever ask, and all he could think about was his family tree in extensive detail. He mentally counted up all of his nieces and nephews, and every time he got to twenty-two, he had to start over. Finally, he was pretty sure he had reached thirty-four (thirty-five if you counted Kiefer).

"Nick?" Sara asked, noticing his absentmindedness.

He practically jumped out of his chair, knocking both his salad fork and soup spoon to the ground. This was quite a feat, considering that they were on opposite sides of the currently empty plate.

Chuckling, Sara said, "What's on your mind?"

Taking a deep breath, holding it for a second, and slowly letting it out with a slight hiss, he answered, "Okay. You know, Sara, we've been seeing each other for quite a while now, right? About ten months now?" When she nodded, he continued, "Well, what would you think if we were to consider making a serious step forward?"

As he looked at her, he could see her swallow hard. He didn't know if it was in anticipation or fear of what would come next. This hurt his confidence even more. The perfect speech Michele had helped him with flew out of the back of his mind, and he started to trip over his words. "What I mean is…well, what I'm trying to say is…would you…I know that…" Nick was utterly mortified at the fool he was making of himself.

Sara saw him fumbling with something in his pocket, and her heart skipped a beat. If this was what she thought it was, then she was terrified, but in a wonderfully terrified way, like the way you feel right before you're about to go bungee jumping or try a new food. She saw by the movement of his arm that he had taken something out of his pocket, but the table blocked her view. She didn't want to look over for fear of appearing over-anxious, but it was a hard urge to fight.

Finally Nick spoke again. "Sara, I love you with all my heart. You're the single person I've loved the most in my life, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Sara's eyes were welling up and her heart jumped into her throat. She knew what was coming next as she could see him get up and bend down on one knee right in front of her.

The entire scenario was drawing quite a bit of attention from the surrounding tables, and they could both feel all eyes on them, as the entire room gradually fell quiet.

"Sara Sidle, will you marry me?" Nick asked. He opened a small black box to reveal a perfect solitaire diamond, set in a white gold band. It was a perfect style for Sara, delicate yet strong. He knew she would love it.

"Yes! Yes, Nick Stokes, I will marry you!" Sara cried, jumping up from her chair. He stood up quickly and they met in a standing embrace, kissing for all they were worth and hanging on to each other as though for dear life.

This inspired cheers from all the restaurant patrons, but all Nick and Sara could hear was the beating of their own hearts, which for some unexplainable reason were beating in perfect unison.

Author's Note: Yay or nay? Let me know what you think. Reviews greatly appreciated!


	2. The Dance

Author's Note: Thanks for all your great reviews! I've decided to continue because of all the support I'm getting. This chapter is dedicated to nickysbabygirl and Sheila for all your help.

Also, I am changing when this is set. It is now set in Season 6, no spoilers…yet.

You get two chapters today if somebody guesses what restaurant they're eating in. I'll give you a hint: Season Three.

Disclaimer: I own neither CSI or George. Boohoo.

Neither Nick nor Sara paid too much attention to the meal, nor did they really converse all that much. They were perfectly content in watching each other eat, but not in that creepy stalker sort of way. Nick watched as Sara's hands handled the silverware perfectly, like a dance, and wondered if she'd ever had formal etiquette training.

Sara noticed his attention to her hands, and almost as though she could tell what he was thinking, she said, "When I was fifteen, I was forced into a weekend finishing school. It was the most ridiculous thing ever, so I played hooky and took self-defence classes instead."

Nick chuckled at the thought, glancing down at his plate. That was just like her. Sara was so headstrong, and he admired that she knew what she wanted and went for it. He wished he could be more like that, instead of always trying to impress people like Grissom, his father, his brother.

When he looked up, so did she, and their eyes locked intensely. Her chocolate brown eyes searched his equally dark brown eyes as though the answers to the universe could be found. When the stare grew to be too intimate (and a bit creepy), they looked away at the same time.

Now Sara noticed the way Nick was eating. His strong hands held the fork and knife tightly, making deliberate movements. He'd ordered a vegetarian meal tonight, probably to please Sara. She knew how much the Texan liked his steak and how hard it likely was not to order one from this five-star restaurant. He wolfed his food down, but not rudely. Unlike many other men she'd dated, he chewed with his mouth closed and didn't talk with food in his mouth. She appreciated it, knowing that he was being polite. He was always polite around ladies.

Without even looking up, Nick said, "I have five sisters. You think I didn't learn to eat politely? No, they educated me in…shall we say, many ways." He grimaced at the memories, provoking a chuckle from Sara. He was still scarred from the time his mother and five sisters had all sat him down to teach him about the birds and the bees.

They spent the rest of the meal in silence; just being with each other was enough to make them content.

When the bill came, Nick wouldn't let Sara see. He snatched it quickly off of the tray and held it with his credit card until the waiter came back. She had pulled out her wallet and started to protest, but Nick wouldn't have any of that. He was old-fashioned. He believed that dates were the guy's job to pay for, and that the girl should never have to do anything about it. Especially not on the date that he proposed on. He loved Sara, and wanted to give her everything she ever wanted.

Nick and Sara walked slowly to Nick's Denali, fingers intertwined. Somehow they manage to make what should have been a thirty second walk take over five minutes, stopping every few yards to share a long and lingering kiss.

When they finally reached the Denali, Nick came around to Sara's side and opened her door for her. She took his hand and gave him a gentle closed-mouthed smile. He returned it and helped her up into the Denali. She tripped on the hem of her dress and fell backwards onto him, so now he was holding her like they were ready to dance, but her feet were still up in the car.

Nick whispered gently, "Do you want to dance with me?"

Confused, Sara said, "But there's no music."

Pulling her closer, he whispered even more quietly than before, "George Carlin once said, 'Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music'".

Feigning contemplation, Sara answered, "Well, nobody's really sure if I'm insane or not, so I wouldn't want to give them any ammo."

Nick's heart fell at this, reflected in his face. "Okay, then."

Sara, noticing his disappointment, answered, "But I'm insanely in love with you."

He smiled and pulled her down out of the Denali.

They danced to no music for almost ten minutes, Sara's head against Nick's strong chest, his cheek resting on her head.

Author's Note: More reviews? Pretty please? Remember, if someone guesses what restaurant they're eating at, you all get two chapters today. (Of course, I'm positively giddy about the next chapter, which I've already written, that I might just post Chapter Three today anyway!)


	3. The Realization

Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to my awesome betas, nickysbabygirl and Sheila. Thanks for all your help. This chapter is not going to be very smutty, but more smut may come later…for now, I find emotional relations so much more sexy. I like fluff. Also, this chapter gets a bit closer to the T rating I gave it earlier.

Spoiler: Grave Danger (but isn't everything centred around Grave Danger these days?)

Disclaimer: Don't own, want to own. Didn't create, want to have created. Want George desperately. You know the drill. _Kill Bill_ belongs to Miramax films, and _The Princess Bride_ belongs to MGM Films (I think). _Pirates of the Caribbean_ is Disney's, and I honestly don't know who _Napoleon Dynamite_ belongs to, except not me.

The drive back to Sara's apartment was one of the longest drives of each of their lives. When they finally got there, Sara said, "Do you want to come in?"

Nick, thinking deeply, said, "Is that a good idea?"

They hadn't yet given each other their physical everything, and it had remained unspoken that they wanted to wait for the right moment. Nick never wanted to pressure her into anything she didn't want to do, and Sara didn't want to become just another notch on his belt either. She wanted to give him everything, but wasn't ready yet. She'd been hurt too many times to just go around giving herself away. They respected and loved each other, enough to wait for when they were both ready.

Sara, chuckling slightly, said, "Nick, Nick, Nick. I was thinking we would just watch a movie, that's all. Get your mind out of the gutter." She swatted his arm playfully.

Nick exhaled sharply, slight embarrassed that he had voiced his concern for something that wouldn't yet be. "Sure," he said. "I'd love to come in".

"Okay." They looked at each other for another minute before Sara reached down to grab her purse.

Inside her apartment, they were confronted with the problem of what to watch. Sara, sitting on the floor, was sifting through a surprisingly extensive collection of DVDs. Nick was sitting on the couch. Sara wanted to watch _The Princess Bride_, but Nick wanted to watch _Kill Bill_, not remembering a certain scene that may affect him in a less-than positive way.

"Mmmm, I'm not sure that _Kill Bill_ would be a good choice, Nick. I don't want you to have a panic attack," Sara shared, dropping a subtle hint.

A look of realization flickered across Nick's face. An awkward silence ensued. Trying to break the tension, he said lightly, "I hate Quentin Tarantino. I bet he gave Gordon the idea. He might as well have buried me himself." There was a tone of bitterness in his voice. Looking up, he laughed. "But we are _not_ watching _The Princess Bride_. I watched that nine hundred times when I was a kid."

Raising an eyebrow, Sara said, "Really?"

Nick laughed. "Sara, I have five sisters. What do you think?"

Sara moved onto the couch, right next to Nick. Now it was her turn to come to a rather amusing realization. "Okay, well, how about _Pirates of the Caribbean_?"

"Why, so I can share you with Orlando Bloom?"

"Nick, wake up. I am _not_ in the least impressed with Orlando Bloom." She leaned in and kissed him softly.

"Mmmm. That's good to know." Another kiss.

Leaning back, Sara decided to play with his mind a bit more. "Johnny Depp is so much sexier."

"Sara!" Nick exclaimed, and reached for a pillow off the couch to swat her with.

She dodged it, but ended up falling on him, the pillow on his lap and her head on the pillow. Neither of them made a quick move to correct the situation. Sara brought her feet up onto the couch and settled into his lap. They lay that way in silence for almost ten minutes.

Just as Sara thought she would fall asleep, Nick broke the silence. "So, how about that movie?"

"Alright, how about _Napoleon Dynamite_?" Sara suggested.

"No Johnny Depp?" Nick asked. He'd never seen it.

"No Johnny Depp."

"Well then, I guess we'll just have to watch it," Nick said in a fake disappointed tone.

About an hour into the movie, after much giggling, guffawing, and musings about the sheer stupidity of the movie, Nick and Sara became content to just kissing each other, her still lying on his lap.

The credits had long since rolled by, but things were just getting started with Nick and Sara. The kissing got more intense, going from chaste kisses on the lips to open-mouthed, and now their tongues were dancing together.

Making out was rather awkward in this position, so Nick had long since put his hand on Sara's behind to move her up further, so her head lay on the soft, full armrest. He hadn't bothered to move it yet, and she'd made no move to correct him either.

Sara was a bit surprised when she felt something hard press into her lower back. Nick pulled back immediately, silently cursing his hormones. He could feel the blood rushing to his face, as well as another area of his body further down.

"I'm really, really sorry, Sara. Really sorry." Nick was genuinely embarrassed. He helped her sit up, both of them sitting in silence for a minute.

"You should, um, go…take care of that," Sara suggested.

"Yeah," he said. He stood up slowly, heading for the bathroom. Once he was inside, Sara let out a sigh, collapsing against the back of her leather couch.

She was pretty certain that this wasn't the first time he had gotten hard over her, but it was the first time that it had happened with her right there.

And she really liked the idea.

Press that little review button, it's right down there. You can do it! I know you can!


	4. The Breakfast

Author's Note: This plot bunny came up behind me, grabbed me, and wouldn't let go until I wrote it down. Tell me what you think…

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own CSI, although I was thinking that if I emailed them or called them they might give me George for my birthday…_Your Man_ belongs to Josh Turner.

Spoilers: None

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After Nick had come back from the bathroom, neither Sara nor Nick made any mention of what had transpired minutes earlier. Nick mistook Sara's silence for anger, and he started to apologize profusely. She shut him up quickly by giving him a slow and lazy kiss. He returned it.

She was holding his face in her hands, and he could see a flash of her ring. Seeing it made him proud, like she was officially his. Greg would be so jealous.

Greg.

Nick started laughing against Sara's lips. She pulled back, curious about what had caused his sudden outburst.

"I just thought of something," he whispered conspiratorially. "Nobody at work even knows we were dating." He laughed again.

Sara laughed back. "Imagine their shock when-ooh! Imagine the look on Greg's face!"

Now they were both roaring with laughter. Sara had actually fallen down onto the floor and was rolling around laughing with her hands over her stomach. It wasn't long before Nick joined her.

When the laughter had finally subsided, they lay on their sides, facing each other, faces mere inches apart. Silence overtook them, which had proved to be a common occurrence for them just as of tonight. Nick was listening to Sara's breathing, quick, shallow, and quiet. He wondered what she was thinking and tried to analyze her face for a clue.

Sara was also listening to Nick's breathing. Deep. Strong. Deliberate. Like the way he had eaten his supper. It made her feel safe; it was almost like knowing that he was always the same, no matter what he was doing. It gave her a sense of constancy. Everything he did was deliberate and strong, from the way he processed a crime scene to the way he ate, to the way he breathed and the way he spoke. The way he looked at her.

They fell asleep like that, just facing each other, lying down on the floor.

Sara awoke with a crick in her neck. She wasn't exactly sure where she was, until she realized that she was on the floor of her own apartment. Looking down, she could feel Nick's arm slung around her waist, pulling her tightly into him. She smiled and craned her neck over to see his face. He looked so innocent, so sweet that she could almost believe that he was only a child, if not for the strength with which he pulled her towards him. His eyelashes fanned out across his cheek and Sara lamented for a moment that it was such a waste that guys were always the ones blessed with such long, thick lashes. Rolling back over to her side, she snuggled in and laid awake for another half an hour, until Nick woke up. During those thirty minutes, she decided that it was time to tell him about her family.

She knew that Nick had woken up when he stirred and she felt a peck on her jawbone.

"Mornin', beautiful," he whispered into her ear.

She greeted him with a kiss, and, taking a deep breath, she said, "I need to tell you something."

Nick could tell from her tone that it was serious. "Do you want me to make you some breakfast?"

Contemplating for a second, she said, "Sure. We can talk over breakfast or after it."

"Okay."

They'd fallen asleep in their clothes and as they got up, Sara became very aware that her bra was now in slight upheaval. She turned away from Nick and fixed it before turning back.

"What are you in the mood for?" Nick asked.

"French toast. Pancakes. Cold cereal. Whatever you want," Sara replied passively.

"How about French toast?" he suggested.

"Sounds good. I'm going to go take a shower." She kissed him on the cheek and walked over to the bathroom.

When Sara came out, she was greeted by a sinfully good smell coming from the kitchen, as well as Nick singing one of his trademark country songs. Before calling attention to herself, she just stood there listening to him sing.

_**Baby lock the door and turn the lights down low  
Put some music on that's soft and slow  
Baby we ain't got no place to go  
I hope you understand **_

I've been thinking 'bout this all day long  
Never felt a feeling quite this strong  
I can't believe how much it turns me on  
Just to be your man

There's no hurry  
Don't you worry  
We can take our time  
Come a little closer  
Let's go over  
What I had in mind

Nick flipped a piece of French toast in the pan without using a spatula, something Sara had always wanted to do but had never been able to learn how.

_**Baby lock the door and turn the light down low  
Put some music on that's soft and slow  
Baby we ain't got no place to go  
I hope you understand **_

I've been thinking 'bout this all day long  
Never felt a feeling quite this strong  
I can't believe how much it turns me on  
Just to be your man

Less than wholesome thoughts were running through Nick's mind as he thought about Sara, just one room over, in the shower. He hadn't realized that the water had stopped running about three minutes ago.

_**Ain't nobody ever love nobody  
The way that I love you  
We're alone now  
You don't know how  
Long I've wanted to  
**_  
Another flip. God, Sara envied him.  
_**  
Lock the door and turn the lights down low  
Put some music on that's soft and slow  
Baby we ain't got no place to go  
I hope you understand **_

I've been thinking 'bout this all day long  
Never felt a feeling that was quite this strong  
I can't believe how much it turns me on  
Just to be your man  
I can't believe how much it turns me on  
Just to be your man

"Good singing," Sara commented. She really liked how his accent was laid on especially thick when he sang.

Nick was startled, and he dropped another piece of French toast in midair during another flip. His attention, however, was on Sara's attire. She wore only a towel, which went down low on her chest and came up far beyond her knees.

Nick tried to distract himself with the fallen piece of toast. He was stuttering now, trying not to look at Sara for fear of a repeat of last night. "Um, how much do you want? I mean, how much toast do you want?"

"Four pieces, maybe?" Sara said.

"You eat like a linebacker," Nick jested, but at Sara's glare he quickly added, "but it definitely doesn't show."

"Good save," Sara poked at him. "I'm going to go get dressed now. Are you going to shower before or after breakfast?"

"I guess I'll shower after, so that the food doesn't get cold."

"Good. There's something I need to tell you."


	5. The Confession

Author's Note: Thank you so much to everybody that has reviewed so far. It's great to know that everybody's liking it, and your reviews all make me smile. Also, as nobody has guessed what restaurant they were eating in, I shall just tell you, because I have no self-control. They were eating in the DeBreff, the restaurant featured in "Got Murder?" of Season Three. Remember, flashbacks are in italics (they'll actually be used in this chapter).

I am rather proud of my insanely quick updates, aren't you?

Spoilers: Nesting Dolls (Can anybody see where this is going…?)

Disclaimer: If CSI was mine, Nick would either be with Sara or me and Warrick would always be shirtless.

Sara and Nick sat down at the small table. They made small talk while they were eating, all the while both avoiding what Sara had to say. There was something wonderful about the French toast, something that made it especially good but Sara couldn't put her finger on, and Sara didn't even have to ask Nick what it was before he answered her unspoken question. "There's cinnamon in it. It's something my mom taught me. Makes all the ladies want to swoon," he added with a chuckle.

"Oh, so you've made breakfast for a lot of women," Sara teased, and laughed when his face turned red.

Nick got an idea, and now he was going to pay her back for the Johnny Depp comment of last night. "Yeah, I made it for six women at once about eight times," he revealed. "The _same_ six women each time," he added deviously.

Sara choked on her milk, and said, "Six!"

Nick laughed. "Yeah. Their names are Michele, Isabella, Flora, Lindsay, Stephanie, and Jillian."

Sara had a momentary look of disgust on her face.

"Relax, Sara, those are my sisters and my mom," he admitted, chuckling.

She laughed nervously, a bit relieved at embarrassed at the same time.

When they were done eating, they cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher

Nick could tell that what she was about to tell him was going to be hard for her to say, probably a secret that she'd held in for a long time, so he slid his chair over to right next to hers to make her feel safe.

Sara took a deep breath. "I never told you about my family."

Nick had never really realized this before, and a look of realization came across his face. "No, you never did."

"Well, here goes. My father was always verbally abusive towards my mother, my brother and me, but it turned physical when I was six." She heard a sharp intake of breath from Nick. The memories of one particular incident when she was ten came flooding back, and she shared them with Nick, the whole time staring at the table, tracing the wood grain with her eyes and fingertip.

_His hand landed hard on her face, connecting with her jaw. Her head was thrown hard to the side and she fell, trying to break her fall with her hands. She was on the floor on her stomach. A kick landed in her side, followed by a rough pull on her arm to get her up. Sara could hear her mother screaming at him to stop, slapping his arms and trying to pull him off her daughter. Laura received a backhand across the cheek instead, and she fell over, hitting her head on a table and being knocked unconscious._

_The beating continued, punches, kicks, slaps, and rough grabbing at her arms and wrists. She just took the beating for now, knowing that the more she protested, the longer it would go on. He was drunk, and she just kept telling herself that it was her own fault, that she'd said something to upset him, or something like that. She knew that he couldn't be held responsible while he was drunk._

_Finally the beating stopped. She heard him cursing and stomping to the kitchen, probably to get more booze. Instead, she heard more slaps and punches, realizing now that he was going after her brother. It was then that she realized that it wasn't her fault. How could it be? Her brother hadn't said anything to anger her father, so maybe the abuse was her dad's fault. Doubt filled her mind. Now she was thinking that he was taking it out on her brother because of something Sara'd said._

_She was distracted by the pain in her face, and now she thought that maybe she had a broken jaw. Searing pain was coursing through her body. She tried to forget the pain, tried to concentrate on something she'd learned in school. Her grandmother. Her hamster. Anything but the pain, but it was no use. She finally succumbed to just laying there, not moving, her breathing shallow, faint, and quick._

_When her mom became conscious again, she saw the bruises and blood around her daughter. Laura tried to wake her, but when she couldn't, she carried her to the family station wagon and drove her to the hospital. The nurses were obviously very suspicious, but Sara quickly regained consciousness. When they asked her what happened, she replied weakly, "I fell down the stairs and hit my head on the banister and then the floor._

_She was proud. It was one of the best lies she'd told to date. The nurse still looked skeptical, but recorded Sara's statement nonetheless._

Now Sara looked up, sobbing, back into Nick's eyes, and was surprised to see tears silently coming down his face as well.

Weakly, voice cracking, he said, "Come here," and held his arms out to her.

She obeyed and sat down sideways on his lap, her head on his shoulder, warmed by the comfort it found there. She continued. "When I was twelve, my mom took things into her own hands." Again the nightmare returned to her mind, and she couldn't help but tell Nick now.

_Her father, drunk again, had just finished beating Sara and her brother. This time, it was harder on her brother than her, and as Sara approached her brother lying there on the floor, she saw that he wasn't moving at all. His eyelids weren't even fluttering._

_She tried to stir him, but he wouldn't wake. Suddenly, Sara felt sick. She knew right then that her brother was dead. Everything stopped. Noise stopped, her pain stopped, and her heart felt like it stopped. The twelve-year-old's head was spinning and she felt like she was going to puke. She did._

_Laura now saw what Sara saw, and was instantly angered. She ran into the kitchen like a wild woman, grabbed the biggest knife she could find, and bolted for her husband. She was yelling madly as she stabbed him eighteen times. Sara saw it all, eighteen flashes of silver, the first going in clean and the rest all tainted with her father's red blood. He'd sustained the first three standing, then fallen to his knees for the next nine, and was on the floor for the last and fatal six._

The next half hour was completely gone from Sara's memory. She could remember the stabbing, and she could remember the cops coming, but she couldn't remember anything in between.

_The paramedic took her hand gently, but she shied away instantly. His gentle voice guided her to the ambulance, where a blanket was wrapped around her shoulders and she was given a glass of water. A detective came up to her and started asking questions. Sara wanted to ignore him. There were people rushing all around her, some carrying silver kits, some wheeling stretchers, and others holding small notebooks._

_Finally, the shock of what had happened finally set in, and Sara started sobbing uncontrollably, not caring who was watching or what they thought._

By now Sara was fully aware of Nick's crying, as it had gone from silent tears to what were now very audible sobs to match her own. He'd always been empathetic, and now was no exception.

They sat together, holding on to each other for dear life, for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally Sara spoke. "I hope you still love me," she pleaded.

Nick looked at her in shock and replied urgently, "Of course I love you! Don't ever, ever think that I don't! Nothing you can ever do can make me love you any less. It might have been the worst experience of your life, but it has shaped you into who you are, and who you are is who I fell in love with!"

Nick's words sounded so beautiful to her that she fell even deeper into his arms and sobbed herself to sleep as he kissed her forehead gently.

Author's Note: I decided to change the reason Laura Sidle killed Sara's father because I just wanted to put my own spin on it. Review and let me know what you think!


	6. The Admission

Author's Note: Did you know that Adidas Active Anti-Perspirant for Women contains aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrex GLY 20 w/w? Bet you didn't. I was rereading Chapter One, and it just occurred to me how cheesy the last line was. Did anybody else find it REALLY corny? I apologize for that. But seriously, thanks for all the reviews (we finally broke 20 – yay!)! Now I am positively giddy! On with the story!

Spoilers: Overload

Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, I wouldn't have to write FanFiction to get the characters to do what I want.

Sara had been asleep in Nick's arms for what seemed to him like a painfully short eternity, if there was such a thing. When she stirred, he woke from his deep thoughts and kissed her tear-stained face, pulling her tighter to him.

"Mornin' again, beautiful," he murmured.

With a kiss, she asked, "How long was I asleep?"

"Mmmm, about an hour. I lost the feeling in my legs after about fifteen minutes."

"Gee, thanks," she replied sarcastically.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Nick said.

Sara stood up from his lap and moved back over to her own chair. She buried her face in her hands, her hair hanging in front. "So, now that I've made a complete idiot of myself, is there anything you'd like to share?" she asked, somewhat sarcastically. She didn't expect the response she got.

"Yeah, actually. I had a lot of time to think about this while you were sleeping. Now I think it's time to tell you my secret." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a minute. When he opened them, he began. "There are some people you're supposed to be able to trust, you know?" When she nodded, unsure of where this was going, he continued. "I was nine. She was a last-minute babysitter." Sara slowly came to realize what he was telling her. She could see him cringe as he obviously was remembering what had happened, and soon it was her turn to listen and cry.

_A lightning storm was raging outside, unleashing its fury on the Texas farmhouse. All of the Stokes kids were scared of rain and thunder, even Ethan. But Ethan, Isabella, Flora, and Lindsay were out, each at a soccer game or flute lesson. Michele hated babysitting. Not that Nick really needed to be babysat. She hated babysitting because she didn't like the temporary tension that was created between them when the relationship was shifted from brother and sister to babysitter and charge. Nick was sitting on his bed in his room with Michele, talking about a boy she really liked._

Nick laughed at the memory. It was so atypical for a girl to tell her younger brother about her crushes, but to him, it was just second nature. They weren't so much younger brother and older sister as they were partners in crime and best friends.

_It was late. The babysitter came into the room, telling the duo that it was time to go to bed. Michele kissed her brother on the cheek, telling him good night and sweet dreams, before she went off to her room._

_The babysitter came over to join Nick on the bed. Sitting down next to him, she took his hand and said that he was a good boy. She said that good boys listen to their babysitters and do what the babysitter tells them to. He was a little unnerved that she had taken his hand, but he made no mention of it. She commented that the bed was comfy. Nick stayed silent. Taking her hand out of his, she slid it up his arm and onto the opposite shoulder. Now Nick was getting even more uncomfortable. He shifted his body away from hers, hoping to loosen the emotional grip she had on him now. His attempt was unsuccessful. Her hand now wandered to his knee and made its way slowly up his thigh. Now she pinned him down against the bed._

_Nick's heart was racing. He knew what was coming next. He tried screaming for Michele to come and help him, but the babysitter covered his mouth with hers. He tried to back away but couldn't escape because he was on top of her._

_After it was over, the babysitter sat up, fixed her clothes, and told him again that he was a good boy. She said, "Good night," and walked out of the room._

_Nick felt dirty. He ran to the bathroom, puked twice, and got into the shower. He didn't care that the water was scalding; he picked up one of his sister's loofahs and started to scrub himself all over. His arms he scrubbed until they were raw. His legs until they were red. His torso until it faintly resembled hamburger meat. His hair he shampooed three times with three different brands, just in case one really did work better than another. Then he sat down on the shower floor, letting the water run over him until it turned ice cold as he cried._

"…but I never told anyone until Catherine and I worked a case four years ago. The one with the boy who was being 'rebirthed'. I don't know if you ever heard much of it. We suspected a psychiatrist of having sex with her underage patients. I got personally involved, and when Catherine threatened to have me taken off the case, I told her why," Nick finished off. He hadn't made eye contact with Sara for his entire story. Telling it was like reliving it, and revealing this secret made him feel dirty all over again. When he looked up, crying, he saw her just sitting there staring at him, tears streaming down her face, already blackened by her mascara and eyeliner.

An awkward silence ensued. Finally Sara broke the tension. "I'm glad you told me," she admitted. They stood up and went over to the couch. Nick sat down, and Sara sat right next to him, her head and hand on his chest, as they lay there, the tears silently running down their faces.

Author's Note: Okay, this wasn't a stab at Sara for making her relationally inept or something like that, I just wanted to show how they deal with things differently. Please don't flame me about that, saying how OOC it is or whatever (or preferably not any other reason either, but hey, I'll take a flame over no review at all).


	7. The Discussion

Author's Note: So, I just came to the funniest realization. The summary for this story makes absolutely no sense. I said, "Snickers treat! (That much is true) Nick and Sara are engaged. (Also true) Will their relationship work out or will they call it off?" (Herein lies the flaw. Of course it will work out! We all know it will! I'm too lazy to go change the blurb, so just pretend it isn't there!)

Also, to **jd** (I try to reply to all my reviewers but I can't if you're anonymous, so here it is): I don't think there will be a smutty (at least, no more smutty than Chapter Three was) in this particular story, but I can hint that there may be one in a future fic…Thanks for your review.

I apologize for all the angst in the last two chapters, but I felt it simply had to be done. Don't worry, though…the fluff returns in this chapter…

This is turning into a really long Author's Note, but it simply all must be said. I am taking creative license and pretending that Mia is still on the show. It was so depressing to find out she was gone…so, she is gone no more!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: When life gives you lemons, it's probably because you smell like decomp. When life doesn't give you CSI, you write FanFiction.

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Nobody at CSI even knew that Sara and Nick were even dating, much less engaged, so the pair decided to have a little fun with their coworkers.

Sara made absolutely no attempt to hide her ring, wearing it on her finger while she was at the lab, and on a chain around her neck when she was at a scene. The only person who made any mention of it was Mia.

"Nick rock," commented Mia, walking into the break room where Sara was sitting drinking a cup of Blue Hawaiian. "Spill," she commanded.

"I will answer _one_ question that has a yes or no answer," Sara said, putting on her best poker face.

At that moment, Nick decided to walk into the break room. The way it was set up, he was behind Mia but Sara could see him. When Mia noticed Sara smiling, she turned around to see Nick standing there with a stupid grin on his face. Mia returned to her previous position with a knowing grin on her face.

"Is it Nick?" she asked.

"Is what Nick?" Sara replied innocently.

"You know what I mean. Are you and Nick engaged?" Mia pushed.

Now the grin that had spread from Nick to Mia was taking over Sara's face, and that was enough of an answer for her. She nodded knowingly.

"Can you just keep it between us for now? We want to see everyone else squirm trying to figure out what changed between us," Sara implored of Mia.

"Sure. Your secret is safe with me," she assured them. An inquisitive look spread across her face. "How long have you been going out?" she asked.

Nick answered, "About ten months."

Mia whistled. "And nobody noticed? In a group of people whose very job it is to notice?" she said incredulously. "This is why we're only the number two lab in the country and not number one."

Nick and Sara both laughed. It was true. The Vegas Crime Lab focused on the scientific element and ignored the human element. They were trained to see things, not people.

"Alright, people, enough chitchat. Let's get this party started," Grissom said, walking into the break room.

Sara and Nick exchanged a curious glance, as if to say, "Did he just say, 'let's get this party started'?" Stifling a laugh, Nick sat down and waited for his assignment.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Grissom was a little more observant than Nick and Sara had made him out to be. After he'd handed out assignments, he said to the pair, "I need to see you both in my office before you leave."

They followed him towards his strangely decorated office, unsure of what he was going to discuss with them, but both having a pretty good idea.

As the trio sat down, Grissom sighed. "I know everybody here thinks I don't believe in anything but the evidence."

Sara nodded cautiously, unsure of what was coming next.

He continued, "Which for the most part is true. But right now, the evidence suggests that you, Sara, are engaged, which you weren't last time I saw you. You both had the night off last night, so I going to guess that the two of you spent your evening together. Am I right?"

Nick glanced over at Sara, silently asking her if it was okay to reveal this particular detail to this particular person. With her approval, it was Nick's turn to nod.

"So, is it unreasonable to assume that you are now engaged?" he asked, head tilted slightly to the side.

Sara had just opened her mouth, but Nick cut her off, his accent coming through a little thicker than usual. "No, actually. It's a good observation. It's also a true observation," he revealed, snaking his hand over to Sara's and intertwining his fingers with hers.

Grissom puckered his lips and nodded slightly, accepting the fact that Sara was no longer available. Now, he thought, it was time to cover logistics.

"So will this…" – he gestured towards their hands – "have any impact on your work?" he asked.

Sara said, "Well, yes and no. We talked about this today, actually. It won't have any effect on our work. We will remain professional on the clock."

Grissom tilted his head forward, expecting a 'but'.

"But, we will need some time off for our wedding and honeymoon," she concluded.

"Which shouldn't be a problem, considering the amount of vacation time we've both accumulated," Nick added as Sara nodded in agreement.

"No, it shouldn't be a problem," Grissom assured. "You're free to go. Just remember, when you're at work, you're at work. Okay?"

"Understood, sir," Nick said.

As they left the office to get to their assignments, Sara couldn't help but tease, "Did you just call him 'sir'?"

Nick had been equally confused about that small slip. "Yeah, I think I did. But I don't really know why." He raised an eyebrow, thinking. "I guess I kind of felt like I was on a first date, talking to my girlfriend's father, if that makes any sense at all."

Sara giggled. "Not really," she murmured as she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.

Author's Note: (In soap opera voice…not that I know what one sounds like…cough) Next time on All You Need Is Love…Greg finds out, Richard comes out of his coma, and Keira has a decision to make…(Okay, I could do with leaving out the coma and Keira) But seriously, let me know what you think!


	8. The Discovery

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter (and of course all the others). I couldn't keep my hands off the keyboard tonight so here's my second chapter today (aren't you proud of me?). Of course, it's not really that much compared to yesterday's FIVE chapters! I'm still high about that. So anyway, you know when you have a ton of homework on Sunday night, and you'll do anything to avoid doing it? Well, this is the product of that desperation. So far, I've read all of _The Da Vinci_ _Code_, practiced piano for two hours (normally I only practice for one), made supper, taken the dog for a _long _walk, and now I'm writing another chapter. Just know that I love all my readers enough to fail the biology and chemistry tests I have tomorrow. Too bad it's not a Forensics test (sadly, my school doesn't offer it although there are other schools that do), because then there's no way I could fail it! I love you all!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I'm borrowing them, that's all. I _intend_ to return them, but of course, I wouldn't mind if CBS gave me a call and said I could have them…

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By God's grace, Grissom had given Sara and Nick the same case – a 419 near Fremont Street. They took Nick's Denali, but almost immediately broke their promise to Grissom to remain professional on the clock. They ended up pulling over and making out for nearly ten minutes, before Sara pulled back, gasping.

"Oh, crap," she muttered, looking at herself in the mirror. Her hair was all over the place and her lipstick was smudged. Nick immediately pulled the Denali into gear and continued driving as Sara tried to smooth her hair back into its previously perfect ponytail and licked her thumb, trying to rub the lipstick off.

Nick was glad there hadn't been a repeat of the movie night, because that was embarrassing enough just once.

When they arrived at the crime scene, Greg surprised them. They didn't know that he'd gotten the same case, or else he would've driven with them. Smiling inwardly, Sara realized it was a good thing they didn't know, or else they wouldn't have been able to have their little "encounter" en route.

"Hey, Greggo, what's up?" Nick drawled. "I thought you were at a B&E off the Strip."

"Yeah, well, we got a crossover. There's evidence suggesting that the murder weapon was stolen from the original scene. Catherine's here too," he added, a little too eager.

"Speak of the Devil," Sara said, smiling at her blonde co-worker.

"Hey." Turning her attention to Nick, she smirked. "You've got a little something right…there," she said, pointing to the corner of his mouth. "Pink isn't exactly your colour," she added with a wink.

Suddenly Greg seemed to connect the dots. His eyes flew to the ring around Sara's neck, back up to her eyes, and then over to Nick's mouth. "You mean you guys are…" he gulped, "…engaged?"

Sara sidled (A/N: Don't you love that? Sorry, I couldn't resist) over to Nick's side and took his hand. "Yep," she announced proudly. She laughed inwardly as the colour drained from Greg's face. Gesturing towards the crime scene, she said, "Shall we?" The two walked off, arms hooked together.

Catherine and Greg just stood there for a second. Greg was still absorbing this information, and Catherine was just sticking with him, partly in case he fell over or something, and partly to give the lovebirds a bit of privacy.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

_Who knew processing a scene could be so sexy?_ Sara thought, flopping down on the break room couch. Again, her mind drifted to what Nick's hands were like when he processed. Deliberate. Strong. As always. Her mind was drifting off…

Nick, who'd been checking in the evidence, returned to the break room to find that Sara was already asleep. He watched her for a minute, noticing the way her hair was fanned over the back of the couch and how peaceful she looked when she was asleep. So serene and tranquil, like nothing was wrong in the world.

Sara felt someone watching her, and jolted awake. She was relieved to see that it was only Nick. "Don't scare me like that!" she said, her hand over her heart.

"I'm sorry, baby," he said quietly, sitting down and pulling her feet up onto his lap from the sitting position she was already in.

Shift was over, so they had no time constraints to worry about. Their case had been easily solved. There were fingerprints and DNA all over the place, so all they had to do was run it. AFIS and CODIS both kicked out the same match, the guy was arrested, and he confessed right away. It was a nice but rare occurrence in the life of a CSI.

The Texan leaned over and kissed her hair. She'd been leaving it curly ever since he'd mentioned he liked it that way. "Let's go home," he whispered. He just meant for her to come over to his house and he'd sleep on the couch. He knew she was exhausted, probably because that day had been so emotionally draining for them both, which took its toll physically as well. They both had trouble coping, and they were praising the heavens that they'd gotten the same case just to keep each other sane.

Once at Nick's house, Sara sat down on his couch and he next to her. She was half-asleep already, but swung her head over to look at him. He leaned over and started kissing her softly.

Sara and Nick both got what they had wanted the night they watched _Napoleon Dynamite_.

Author's Note: So happy! We finally broke 30 reviews! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you'll do the same for this chapter –hint hint –. I hope to reach 50 by Chapter Ten, but I can't do it without you guys!


	9. The Lesson

Author's Note: Guess what! My exams both got postponed. Just goes to show that good things happen when you write FanFiction :P. Now I am going to try to apply the same principle to Math. I was really bored today so I wrote Chapter Nine (duh, this is it) in class. Sadly, I also have a test in Math tomorrow too (don't we all hate high school?). I figure that since I wrote it in Math, the test tomorrow would be postponed, or better yet cancelled. Like that's going to happen, but hey, a girl can dream, right?

As I got another review from **jd**, here goes: Actually, to tell you the truth, I completely forgot about Warrick. So now I have to put him in this chapter. Actually, probably not this chapter, probably…like Chapter Eleven. I was also very pleased with Greg's reaction (which is a good thing, considering I wrote it). I was debating between whether Grissom would blow up, hold it in, or have no feelings at all. I must say, I'm not very fond of Brass, so if he's in this fic at all, it's probably only going to be professional. Glad you enjoyed, and thanks for the review. You should really get a real account unless you want me to keep continuing to post my replies for everybody to see…this is a not-so-subtle hint…

The pancake recipe mentioned in here is an actual secret family recipe. It does include some really gross things, including cucumber rind (and I don't mean zucchini rind). But the pancakes are actually delicious. I might even be willing to trade the recipe for CSI. But it would be a tough decision…(who are we kidding? Of course I'd take CSI)

These Author's Notes seem to get longer and longer by the chapter. I just realized that in my Chapter 5 A/N, I said that the restaurant was from "Got Murder?" but then I realized it's actually from "Recipe for Murder". Sue me. No, don't, Mr. Bruckheimer, sir! Please don't!

Spoilers:

Disclaimer: Не создавал, не иметь. Хотите Джорджа, как всегда.

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Sara awoke with a warm body next to hers. She had a strange feeling of déjà vu as she looked down and saw Nick's arms slung over her waist again. This time, though, they were in his bed instead of on her apartment floor. She covered his hand with hers and sighed. Once again, he slept longer than she did, but he greeted her the same way. Peppering her shoulder with kisses, he whispered, like before, "Mornin', beautiful."

She turned to kiss him but he held her down, continuing to kiss her. Sinking even deeper into his bed, if it was possible, she didn't protest. It wasn't a kiss like you'd expect from a horny teenage boy looking to get some, but it was instead loving and gentle.

"We should probably start planning our wedding," Sara realized out loud, as Nick finally let her roll over.

"Yeah. But first, how about some breakfast? What do you want?" he asked.

"Actually, I was going to make breakfast for _you_ this time," she said. "What do _you_ want?"

He looked at her, a bit surprised but very pleased. "Pancakes."

She was glad. Now she could use a secret family recipe one of her foster mothers, Evelyn, had told her. Evelyn was the best foster mother Sara'd had. She saw her foster kids as her family, which is why Sara had been given the recipe.

Making their way to the kitchen together, Sara realized that he might not have all of the ingredients. It was a really weird (actually it was downright disgusting) recipe, but as long as you didn't know what was in it, it was heavenly.

Luckily for her, Nick had decided to shower before they ate, so she had a few minutes to rummage through his cabinets before throwing everything she needed into a bowl, then replacing the ingredients before Nick could come back and see. He'd probably think she was trying to poison him or something.

Sara mixed the batter and poured it into the frying pan with a ladle. Nick, now out of the shower, chose that exact moment to sneak up behind her and place his hands on her hips, a little too roughly apparently. Startled, she elbowed him in the groin, probably something she'd learned in the self-defence class she'd taken when she was fifteen, Nick reasoned.

With a loud, "Oof!" he was pushed backwards and doubled over in pain.

"Oh, Nick! I'm so sorry! You just scared me, that's all," Sara said.

Face contorted, still doubled over, he replied weakly, "It's okay. I shouldn't have snuck up on you." Eventually he was able to stand up.

By now, the pancakes were done on one side, and Sara searched the drawers for a spatula, cursing when she couldn't find one. "Do you seriously not have a spatula?" she asked, slightly exasperated.

"No," Nick replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I've never had to use one. Here, let me do that." He took the frying pan out of her hand and flipped the pancakes expertly, the way he'd done with the French toast. Sara, as she had also done before, watched in amazement.

"Will you teach me how to do that?" she begged, sounding a bit like a little girl asking if it was her turn to go on the slide.

He gave her a heart-stopping grin and a slight chuckle. "Sure."

He stepped back so she could stand in front of him, and covered her hand on the handle with his. "You just kinda…throw it forward and up, like…that," he said as he flipped it with her. She giggled like a girl at the zoo who had just seen an elephant spray water or something. "Now you try." He let go.

She picked the pan back up off the burner and tried again without Nick. In the middle of the flip, they both knew the pancake hadn't caught nearly enough air. When it folded in half, Sara looked disappointed, but Nick was quick to comfort her.

"It's okay. It takes a lot of practice. Plus, pancakes are the hardest things to do it with. They kinda stick, and they fold in half really easily," he assured her.

"Well, let me try again," she said, now determined to get it right.

Three batches later, she finally landed her first one. She squealed in delight, and Nick just smiled. He loved seeing her like this. Happy. Carefree. Easily amused.

Sara, who hated seeing food go to waste, insisted that they eat even the ones that didn't quite survive the flipping.

"I've gotta say, Sara, these are some pretty weird-tasting pancakes. Really good, but really weird too," Nick said. "What's in them?"

A devious look spread across Sara's face. "I can't tell you."

"Secret family recipe?" he asked, the words already out of his mouth before he even realized what he'd just asked. He was about to open his mouth again, to say, "I mean…", but Sara cut him off.

"Yup."

This threw Nick off a little bit. Sara enjoyed seeing the puzzled look on his face for a minute too long before continuing, "Foster mom passed it on. She couldn't have children of her own, so she always thought of us as her children."

"That's sweet."

"Yeah."

They continued eating silently for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

"So when do you tell me what's in these things?" he asked.

"When you join the family," she replied, smiling.

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Author's Note: Don't even think about me telling you what's in them in a future chapter. Of course, if you review, I might be somewhat tempted…


	10. The News

Author's Note: Thanks again to everybody who reviewed! I love you all! So, this is a very good thing. There are horny plot bunnies on steroids running around in my head reproducing like mad! It's great!

To **Heartagram LaLa**: I'm finally going to use your line about Christmas and birthdays!

To all who wish they knew what was in the pancakes, I simply can't tell you…I'd be taken to slaughter if my parents found out! (Fifty reviews by the end of this chapter combined for the whole story, not just this chapter although 50 reviews on this chapter alone would be really nice :P and I might be enticed to tell you one ingredient per chapter… But definitely not the amounts. That's for you guys to figure out :P)

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: (Last time it was in Russian, which I can actually read. Can read, but can't understand. Don't even ask.) Jeg ikke eier, jeg ikke skapte, jeg vil ha George desperat. (A little tribute to Greg "funtain water" – haha)

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Driving into work together, Nick realized that there were still a few people who didn't know that they were engaged. Namely, his best friend Warrick. Nick could slap himself for not telling him (he actually did a few times), but honestly, he just forgot. The lovebirds had been so focussed on each other that they hadn't really told anyone who hadn't asked. Mentally running through everyone at the lab, he realized they still had to tell Sofia, Hodges, Doc Robbins, David, and…Ecklie, in addition to Warrick. He grimaced. He was _not_ looking forward to getting another "for the good of the lab" speeches from Ecklie.

Sara, noticed the look on his face, said, "Penny for your thoughts."

Jolted out of his thoughts, he turned to her and said, "I was just thinking about all the people we haven't told yet."

"Like who?" she said, wanting to make sure he was talking about work and not his family.

"Like Sofia, Hodges, Doc, David…" he trailed off.

"Ecklie."

"Yeah." He sighed. "Ecklie."

"What about your family?" she asked.

"Well, here's the thing. I'm not exactly sure how to tell them that I got engaged without them even meeting you," he said with a look on his face that showed he was thinking hard. "I mean, the only time they've even seen you was last May, when I was kidnapped. I'm just not really sure what the best way is to go about telling them, that's all."

Giggling, Sara replied, "Well, it's a little late for asking them before proposing."

"You don't say?" he said sarcastically.

"So…do you want me to meet them?" she supplied.

"Would you?" he asked, as the words just barely left her mouth.

Smirking, she said, "Eager, are we?"

He gave her a look that plainly said _Of course I'm eager_.

"Tell me about your parents," she commanded.

"Well, my mom's a public defender. My dad used to be state DA, but he was appointed to the bench a few years ago. What else do you want to know?" he asked.

"Okay, that's what they do. What are they _like_?" she pressed.

He exhaled sharply, laughing dryly. "My dad's…" –he searched for the right word- "…strong-willed. He had a good idea of how children were supposed to be raised, and he made sure that's the way we turned out."

"How _did_ he think kids should be raised?" she asked.

"He thought children should be seen and not heard. Speak only when spoken to. Obey your parents. Little boys don't cry, that type of thing." He swallowed hard.

"Oh," she said, voice barely above a whisper. Trying to change the subject, she said, "How about your mom?"

He smiled a bit, as though a pleasant memory had just passed through his mind. "My mom's great. She's the most amazing multi-tasker I've ever met."

"Well, you'd have to be with seven children," she responded.

"Mmmm, not necessarily. I think you'd be surprised. See, not only do I have a huge family, but my mom and dad both have huge families too. My mom's…" –he stopped to think for a second– "_second_ sister, I think, is the _worst_ multi-tasker in the world. If she tried to paint her toenails and talk on the phone at the same time, she'd probably end up with a pink phone. Of course, that would assume that she could even find time to talk on the phone. She has six kids."

"Just how many cousins do you have, Nick?" she asked, awaiting an insane answer.

He laughed. "I _think_ about seventy-some, but I'm not entirely sure." Seeing her jaw drop, he added, "I have thirty-four nieces and nephews and another one on the way." Now Nick didn't think he'd ever seen anyone's eyes so wide, and it made him laugh. He couldn't resist one last jab. "Christmas and birthdays wreak havoc on the wallet."

"I bet!" she agreed. "How do you manage that on our pay?"

"I don't, actually. We all rotate families each year. So one year, Ethan, my brother, will buy for my sister, Michele's family. Michele buys for Stephanie, Stephanie buys for Flora, Flora buys for me, you know how it works. The next year we all switch."

"I don't know how it works, not really. How on earth do you figure out who buys for whom?" she asked.

"Actually, we draw straws. Shortest straw gets largest family. Longest straw gets, well…me."

This caused a laugh from Sara. "You'll definitely have to tell me more later," she said. "We're here."

"Duh. I'm driving. I know we're here," he answered, stating the obvious.

"Time to break the news," she said, even though they both knew that that was all that was on their minds.

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"Alright, kiddies, gather round," Nick said in a rather circus-like voice. Sara was standing beside him. Everybody, including Catherine, Grissom, Greg, and even Mia, was there. Warrick, Sofia, and Hodges were all there too. "We have something we need to tell you." Reaching for her left hand, intertwining her fingers with his, they raised their hands together to display the ring on Sara's finger.

The quiet whispers that had been going on quickly stopped, and eventually, Warrick squeaked out, "You didn't."

Nodding, Nick said, "I did."

"You did _not_."

"Uh, yeah, I did."

To Sara, he asked, "He didn't?"

Much to everyone's amusement, she answered, "He did."

Now to everyone's surprise, he finally said something different. "Well, it's about time someone got engaged around here!" Sara and Nick both noticed with amusement how that comment was directed more to Catherine than to them, and she noticed it too.

"After shift, we're all going out for drinks. That means you too, Grissom," Catherine said. "I'm buying!"

"Well, then, you can definitely count on us being there," Nick said, pulling Sara tighter to him by the hip.

Greg just watched in envy as they kissed.

Grissom cleared his throat. "Assignments, people."

Nick and Sara joined the others, who were already sitting.

This time, Grissom gave them different assignments.

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Author's Note: I actually have a mountain of cousins, but nowhere near the amount I gave Nick. I love huge families. I wish I had a bigger one. As if twenty-seven on one side alone isn't enough…

Reviews, please!


	11. The Epiphany

Author's Note: So I was reading through some old forums online when I realized, I don't know what season or episode it was that George Eads decided to grow the stache (as hot as he is, I honestly don't know what he was thinking. This was a _major_ error in judgement. But he shaved it off, so he's now forgiven.). Does anybody know what episode it was (or episodes there were)? Please let me know in a review! (Of course, reviews for any other reason would be really nice too…)

More creative license taken in this chapter: Warrick is no longer, nor ever was, married.

To **nickysbabygirl**: you might want to turn up those speakers, because _Your Man_ makes another appearance!

_(Spoiler Warning)_ So, I was just watching 'Face Lift' on Spike, and for the first time I saw the ending with Catherine in the jail with Tammy/Melissa…So good! Sorry, just thought I'd throw that out there…

Spoilers: None.

Disclaimer: Portuguese this time. (Norwegian last time for those of you who missed that)

Eu faço não próprio aquilo , Eu fazia não criar aquilo , e Eu quero George desesperadamente. Eu faço não próprio Hollaback Menina ou o Cor de rosa Pantera. Eu também não próprio Seu Homem.

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After shift was over, Ecklie stuck his head out of his office and called Nick and Sara, just as they were leaving for the bar.

"Sidle! Stokes!" he barked.

Both turning, Nick replied, "Yeah?"

"My office, please. _Now_."

Nick called over to Warrick, "We'll meet you there soon." Warrick nodded and led the rest of the gang out of the lab.

Following Ecklie, they entered his office and sat down as he closed the door behind them.

"Are you two engaged?" he demanded. _Boy_, Nick thought, _he doesn't waste any time when he wants to see someone in trouble_. Sara was thinking the same thing.

She played Ecklie's card right back at him. "Yes," she replied, not missing a beat.

Ecklie was a little taken aback at how easy it had been to get an answer. It was too easy, downright disappointing, actually. Regaining his composure, he asked, "Will it impact your work?"

"No," they replied in unison. Sara rolled her eyes a bit. Why did he ask questions to which he already knew the answers? Smiling a little, she realized that that was what they did with suspects all the time. Old habits die hard. For sure he'd already talked to Grissom. For sure Grissom had told him that they promised to stay professional on the clock. For sure Ecklie just wanted to bug them.

Changing his tone to what Sara mistook as a more personable tone, he asked, "When's the wedding?"

Sara joked, "Oh, Ecklie. I didn't know you cared."

Back came the man they'd all grown to know and…well, maybe not _love_, saying, "I don't. I need to know for schedule changes."

Sara, having not missed a beat for this entire conversation, was not about to start. She said curtly, "When we know, you'll know. Friends?"

"No. Now get out of my office."

They scurried out, eager to join their friends at a bar just off Tropicana.

He just stood there, shaking his head as he realized how much like Hodges she had just sounded right there.

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Few times I've been round that track 

_**So it's not just gonna happen like that**_

_**Cause I ain't no hollaback girl**_

_**Ain't no hollaback girl**_

_**Oo-oo**_

_**This my shit**_

_**This my shit**_

_**Oo-oo**_

_**This my shit**_

_**This my shit**_

All nine of them were now as drunk as anything, including Grissom. And he was a funny drunk. He kept hitting on Mia and telling tons of really bad bug jokes. Things like, "What did the Pink Panther say when he stepped on a bug?" and when nobody said anything, he'd answer his own joke by singing, "Dead ant, dead ant, dead ant dead ant dead ant dead ant, dead aaant," to the tune of the Pink Panther theme song. Everybody else was singing along (very loudly) to Gwen Stefani, and since Warrick was the closest to sober, he had the little brain capacity to drum on the table in rhythm. After a few more beers, though, that wouldn't be an option.

Everybody was still close enough to sober to be shocked when a slow country song started to play. A stupid grin spread across Nick's face as he asked Sara, "May I have this dance?" holding his hand out to her.

She took it, giggling, and allowed him to pull her up out of the booth that they'd somehow managed to squeeze nine people into.

Pulling her into a dancing position he didn't miss a beat, immediately starting to dance.

Baby lock the door and turn the lights down low 

_**Put some music on that's soft and slow**_

_**Baby we ain't got no place to go**_

_**I hope you understand**_

_**I've been thinkin' 'bout this all day long**_

_**Never felt a feeling quite this strong**_

_**I can't believe how much it turns me on**_

Just to be your man 

The familiar song overtook them and they danced slowly together. Warrick and Catherine followed, as did Mia and Greg, and shortly after came Sofia and Grissom. Hodges stayed at the table and eventually passed out on the hard surface.

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Nick awoke with the best hangover he'd ever had. That is to say, he barely had one. Sara, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. When Nick woke after her, for the third time in a row, he found her spilling her guts out into the toilet bowl.

He came up behind her, this time making sure she knew he was there before gently placing his hand on her back and rubbing gently.

"Hey there," he said.

She just looked up and gave him a look that said, _I just want to curl up and sleep_.

Laughing, he said, "Do you want some breakfast?"

"Yeah, actually, I'm starving. I have no idea why. And this puking? It's not from last night. It just…feels different. I hardly even have a headache, which means that it's probably not a hangover."

"Well, what do you want?" he asked.

"This will sound really strange, but fried green apples with maple syrup. Ooh! And some bacon. Lots and lots of bacon."

Suddenly Nick had an epiphany. Sara was a vegetarian. There's no way she'd be eating meat if she were feeling okay. Something was up…

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Author's Note: I considered leaving it there for now, but then I realized I simply love you all too much. And the site is being overhauled tonight. Plus the mother of all plot bunnies came up behind me and grabbed me by the throat.

Author's Note II: When I used the Internet translator to translate my disclaimer into Portuguese, I typed in "I also do not own Your Man." But I forgot to change the language from English to English into English to Portuguese, and this is what it kicked out: "IMMATERIALITY also be in a state not assent Your Adolescence." Just thought you'd all enjoy that.

Author's Note III: I have to go practice piano…


	12. The Speculation

Author's Note: I am sooo happy with all the responses and reviews I'm getting! Thank you all so much and I beg you to stick with me here. I'm overwhelmed by the support you're all showing, so thanks so much!

For anyone who cares, while my mom was pregnant with me, she craved fried green apples with maple syrup and bacon. Now I don't like green apples, maple syrup, or bacon. Go figure.

I also got more anonymous reviews on last chapter than I ever have (four…impressive, usually I only get, like, one, if that), so here are the responses to those:

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: The Pink Panther joke is so junior high band teacher, I'll admit. Keep reading to find out whether the first part of your review is correct or not…

To **Heather**: Yeah, actually they did, once. Reread the end of Chapter Eight, that's my subtle way of telling y'all that they finally hooked up! Trust me, I'd never put Sara with another man. I'm a diehard Snickers fan!

To **Snicker**: Or is she? Dun dun duuuunnnn…Keep reading and reviewing and I'll keep writing!

To **jd**: Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked the part about Warrick. I suck at writing wedding vows, so we'll see what happens…

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Io fare non proprio lo, Io non creare lo, e Io bisogno Giorgio disperatamente.

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Nick stood at the stove, sautéing some sliced green apples. He was thinking about what had happened in the bathroom. He'd seen his sisters like this thirty times, and his sister-in-law like this five times. Now he was freaking out a bit, trying to grasp the possibility.

When he heard Sara coming down the hall, he looked over at her, smiling as a greeting.

"Are you sure you want bacon?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's the strangest thing. I'm a vegetarian," she replied, but she didn't really seem stressed or even curious about the craving.

"Way to state the obvious," he jabbed, as she then swatted him playfully on the arm.

Nick put the now finished apples on a plate and brought it over to the table, turning back to the stove to start on the bacon.

When that was done, Nick sat down across from Sara, intent on asking her what he'd been thinking about in the bathroom. His voice froze as he realized what he was about to ask. Finally, he managed to squeak out, "Sara?"

"Mmhmm?" she answered, mouth full of bacon.

"Ummm, are you…well, did I…are we…" he stuttered. It seemed to him that every time he wanted to ask her something important, they were eating and he couldn't get the words out.

She laughed and said, "Nick, just spit it out." The timing of her phrase was ironic because at that exact moment, a piece of bacon decided to be sent like a miniature ballistic missile towards Nick. He just closed his eyes on impact, making a face before wiping it off.

Nick took a deep breath. "Are you pregnant?"

Silence filled the room.

She sighed. "I don't know."

More silence.

"When will you know for sure?" he asked nervously.

Looking up as though calculating, she answered, "In five days."

_Five days_, Nick thought. _I can get through five days…I think_.

She smirked at him. "I know it'll seem like an eternity. I can take a test if you want."

Exhaling sharply, he thought for a moment.

"You don't have to answer that. You and I both know that we want to take a test."

He nodded vigorously, but he couldn't resist a little humour. "But _you'll_ be the one taking the test, not me."

She rolled her eyes. "We'll pick one up after work."

"Speaking of which," Nick pointed out, glancing at the clock on the stove.

"Yeah," Sara said. "Let's get moving."

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Driving in Sara's Denali, they were now discussing their wedding, finally. It was also the first time in a long time Sara had driven anywhere with Nick.

"Do you want to have it here or somewhere else?" Nick asked.

"Well, I don't really have anyone here to come, so why don't we have it in Texas?" she suggested.

He beamed. He was glad that she'd thought of Texas. Of course, it would mean having to face his father again for the first time since his kidnapping, but he decided to ignore that fact for a while and be happy about being Sara's fiancé.

"Sounds awesome. When do you want to have it?" he asked.

"Well, I was thinking that it kind of depends on if I'm pregnant or not. I don't want to look like a blimp, but I don't want to rush it and elope next week either. If I'm not pregnant, then I guess we can just plan until it's perfect."

"I was thinking the same thing," Nick confessed. "Not the part about you being a blimp, I just meant that I don't want to rush it," he added hastily. Tilting his head to the side, as though something had just occurred to him, he asked, "Why don't you want to elope next week? We still have a bit of time. Warrick said that he'd heard of this really good drive-through chapel, and it's on the way to the lab."

(Author's Note: Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to remind you that I made Warrick unmarried. This is just a stab at him for marrying Tina. Okay, back to the story.)

"A drive-through chapel? Are you serious? Who on earth would want to go to a drive-through chapel?" she asked incredulously.

"Relax, Sara, I'm kidding. And I guess, technically, you don't go _to_ a drive-through chapel, you go _through_ it," he joked.

"True," she acknowledged. "One more thing. I don't really want a big wedding."

"You don't?" he asked, a bit surprised. All of his sisters had had really splashy weddings. Now he laughed.

"What's so funny?" she demanded a bit angrily, thinking that he was laughing at her for not wanting a big wedding.

"Well, my mom came from a big family, and my dad came from a big family, and they had a big family, and all of my family married people with big families, and now they all have big families…you're kind of stuck with a big wedding, even if we only invite my siblings and their kids. Which we kind of have to."

She licked her lips, thinking. "Suddenly, that drive-through chapel is sounding very appealing."

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Author's Note: I am so excited about next chapter! (Of course, I haven't written it yet, so maybe it'll be Chapter Fourteen that I'm actually excited about, or maybe even Chapter Fifteen.) But the point is, don't worry, there will eventually be something to be excited about!


	13. The Memory

Author's Note: I still can't get over the numbers of reviews I'm getting. Thanks a million George Eadses (I only wish there were a million of George…don't we all?) to everybody who reviewed last chapter, as well as any other. Since I love you all so much, here is one ingredient of the pancake mix: Lettuce (weird, eh?).

This is my first attempt at a real case, so just bear with me for a while. Right now, I'm just setting it up. If it sucks, let me know in a review and I'll just have the culprit confess in the next chapter or something. That's just like me, always taking the easy way out. Haha.

And now for my anonymous reviewers:

To **Allie**: Thanks for the review. I'm glad to know what you think compared to other Snickers stories. Trust me, it won't get too angsty. At least no more angsty than Chapters Five and Six were. I try to be funny, but usually I just end up looking pathetic. I'm trying to actually give it a bit of a plot. That plot comes more into play in this chapter…

To **MollyMKS**: So glad you are enjoying! I am just as excited about this story as any of you, and I'm updating as often as I can. When I'm not in school or watching CSI, I'm replying to reviews, typing, posting, or reading. I don't even do homework anymore!

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: Oh yeah, drive-through chapels. Viva Las Vegas.

Spoilers: 'Grave Danger', slightly. But seriously, if you haven't seen 'Grave Danger', what rock have you been living under? Also a bit of…shall we say, inspiration, from 'Shooting Stars'.

Disclaimer: Apparently, my Portuguese was all messed up last time. Stupid Internet translators grumbles incoherently. I knew they weren't completely accurate, but I never knew they were _that_ not completely accurate. Special thanks to my Brazilian buddy **Mma63** for the _real_ translation: Eu no criei isto, eu no possuo isto. Eu desejo George desesperadamente.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Nick and Sara were now driving out to Jackpot. They had a quadruple murder to handle, just the two of them. It was nice, though. Now they got to spend the few hours it would take to get there alone. As if they hadn't had enough time together. At least they could talk more about the wedding.

"You'd better start running me through your family so I at least know _something_ about them when I meet them," she persuaded.

"Okay," he said, pulling his wallet out from the centre console, one hand still on the steering wheel.

She laughed when she saw it. "That's got to be the thickest wallet I've ever seen!"

"Yeah, well you try having over a hundred pictures of your family in a single wallet."

That shut her up quick. Smirking, knowing he'd gotten his way, he passed it to her and she opened it up. She gasped. There literally were a hundred pictures, and she nearly died when she saw all the sets of twins.

"Told ya," he grinned.

"You sure did!" she agreed, her eyes wide. "Do you mind walking me through any of this?"

"The names are all on the backs," he explained. "But when we go home, I'll tell you how I'm related to everybody."

"Okay." She proceeded to flip through the photos. It looked like just about an entire baby name book had been used.

"All of the redheads are from my mom's side," he supplied.

"But is your mom's entire side redheaded?" she asked.

Processing this for a second, he replied, "Yes, I _think_. My point is that there are no redheads on Cisco's side." He wasn't entirely sure.

"Cisco?" she asked, a bit confused.

Like he'd just remembered something, he said, "Yeah, of course. My dad."

"How did you get 'Cisco'?"

He smiled another heart-stopping grin. "I'm not telling," he said secretively.

A look of realization crossed her face. "So _that's_ why he called you Poncho!"

Confused, he asked, "When did he call me Poncho?"

"Not your dad. Grissom called you Poncho when we rescued you, remember?"

"Oh, yeah! Hey, how did he know that?"

"When they were watching you on the webcam, your dad said something like, 'Oh, Poncho, what you got yourself into?' and I guess Grissom heard."

He shook his head and exhaled sharply. "Typical."

"What's typical?"

"That he'd blame that on me. Like I _planned_ to be buried alive."

"I…take it you never got along well with him?" she asked gently.

"Well, we did when I was kid. But then when I hit high school, he kept pressuring me to take courses that could get me into law. He didn't really understand that I wasn't interested. He thought I was a geek for liking science as much as I did, and he made no effort to hide it." Changing his tone, he asked, "Can we talk about something else? Please?"

"Sure, of course."

An awkward silence ensued. "You realize that, since we're out here, we'll probably have to stay a few nights until the case is solved. You won't be able to get a pregnancy test until we get back, unless you want to buy one up there," Nick finally said, trying to make conversation.

"And show my face again? Right. Like you said, we'll be up there a few days," she scoffed.

"Just a suggestion," he said, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry." She took a deep breath. "Nick, what if I am pregnant?"

"We're getting married anyway," he said, pointing out the obvious.

"I know, but…I don't know. Never mind." She turned her head to the side and stared out the window.

Snaking his hand up to hers and grabbing it lovingly, he whispered, voice cracking, "You can tell me, you know."

"It's just, I never thought we'd have kids so soon," she revealed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa? Kids? As in plural? That reminds me…there's something I need to tell you. Ummm…I'm not really sure how to say this, but, well, twins run in my family. I know that fraternal twins are entirely on the female, but I don't exactly know about if male genes can cause identical twins."

The colour drained from Sara's face as she realized the possibility of her carrying Nick's babies.

"Well, we still have another hour and a half to Jackpot. I might as well tell you about my family. I think I might be able to get through my immediate family and their families by then."

The look on Sara's face suggested she was about to faint.

As Nick proceeded to tell her everything he'd thought of the night that he'd proposed, he could see her eyes grow wider with every new person, her jaw drop a little more with each new set of twins, and her head tilt forward with the news about Kiefer.

"Yikes."

"Yeah. Just wait till you meet them all. My sister Flora's two triplet boys-"

"-Paul and Mitchell?" she interjected.

"Yeah. Good memory. Anyway, they're six, right? Let me tell you, they're a force to be reckoned with. Redhead terrors."

"You must take after your dad," she said.

"What?" he asked, a bit confused.

"You don't have red hair," she answered, pointing to his head.

Sarcastically, he said, "Your powers of observation never cease to astound me."

"How about your other siblings?" she asked.

"Nope, I'm the only one."

"Wow."

They spent a lot of the rest of the drive making small talk, when Sara remembered her original question again. "So…Nick?"

"Mmhmm?" he said, doing a shoulder check as they turned onto the off-ramp into Jackpot.

"What if I'm pregnant?"

"Then I guess my mother gets grandchild number thirty-six."

"Your father too," she reminded.

"Yep," he sighed. "Cisco too."

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Pulling up to the crime scene, a small, slightly run-down farmhouse that reminded Nick a little bit of home, the CSIs knew it wasn't going to be an easy scene. There was blood everywhere and dirt from the front that had been tracked in. It was windy, so any footprints left outside in the dust would be long gone by now.

"Alright," Sara said. "I'll take up, you take down?"

"Sure," Nick said, not even realizing what he was agreeing to. He went down the stairs not even thinking about it, but as soon as he got into the dark basement and smelled decomp, he instinctively reached over to the window and opened it. It was when he looked outside that he realized where he was. There was dirt piled up to right underneath the sill, and all of a sudden, Nick was inside that box again.

_Hi, CSI guy. You wondering why you're here? Because you followed the evidence. Because that's what CSIs do. So breathe quick, breathe slow, put your gun in your mouth and pull the trigger. Any way you like, you're going to die here. Okay._

Sara called him a few minutes later, and when there was no reply, she went downstairs to find him.

She found him, all right. Curled up in the fetal position mumbling in Spanish.

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Author's Note: Well, I'm getting rather bored with this story, so I think I'll just end it there…Who are we kidding? We all know that I can't keep my hands off the keyboard any more than I could keep them off George, given the option. Keep reading and reviewing and I'll keep writing…


	14. The Other News

Author's Note: Eep! Over eighty reviews! -Dies and goes to heaven, leaving all readers very angry-. I'm going to keep on trying my hand at a real case, but I'm not entirely sure how well it will work out…Let me know what you think in a review!

To **Allie**: I never really saw Nick and his dad as very close. I can see how other people would think that, but I just don't see it myself. Like I said, I try, as far as humour goes. And, one last thing, if you keep reviewing, I'll keep responding. (And I love my penname too!)

To **jd**: That's kind of my first real cliffhanger, glad you enjoyed! Also, the time stamp on the email I got said 4:49 AM! What the heck were you doing up at 4:49 reading FanFiction? (Not that I don't do it too…-cough-)

To **MollyMKS**: Thanks for reviewing. It's true though. If I could get my hands on George, I couldn't get them off. And I definitely shall keep updating, as long as everybody keeps reviewing!

Spoilers: 'Grave Danger' (aren't they all?)

Disclaimer: I-ay ant-way o-tay own-ay ut-bay I-ay ever-nay ill-way. Adly-say. Also, I stole a line from _Ocean's Eleven_. Also not mine.

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Nick was mumbling something in Spanish that Sara didn't understand. She dropped the evidence bag she'd wanted to show him and ran over to him, clutching his shoulders and whispering, "It's okay, Nick, it's okay."

She helped him stand up and get up the stairs. Now he was crying, but the Spanish had stopped. Shoulders shaking, they sat down on the front porch and Sara let him breathe a few deep breaths before the crying stopped abruptly. Rubbing his back, she said, "Shhh. It's okay, it's okay…"

"No, it's not okay!" he said angrily, between shaky breaths. "It's not okay that I can't even do my job! It's not okay to not be able to go into the basement, and it's not okay that I can hardly go into Grissom's office without shuddering when I see the bugs."

"Nick, I'm sorry about sending you down there. I just didn't even think about it. I didn't mean to-"

"It's not your fault," he interrupted. "I guess I should just…get over it." He was about to stand up.

"Nick…what happened to you was awful. The way I see it, some things you will never get past, so the next best thing you can do is get away."

This started him crying all over again, Sara rubbing his back and soothing him. Finally, when he'd finished, he said, "You must think I'm a big baby for crying so hard."

"Not at all," she reassured, smiling gently. "I've actually always admired a man who could cry."

"Really?" he asked, his voice cracking, eyes wet.

"Really." She leaned over to kiss him.

"Tell that to my father," he said wryly, after they'd broken the kiss.

Sara knew that that was a sensitive topic. Wanting to change the subject, she asked, "How about I take downstairs?"

"Thanks," he said sincerely. Another quick kiss, and she stood up, dusted herself off, and went inside the house.

Nick sat for a minute longer, regaining his composure, before he followed suit.

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The crime scene was just over five weeks old, and the bad ventilation combined with four bodies and a nearly record-setting heat wave made the smell almost unbearable.

There were two bodies in the basement, one on the main floor, and one on the top floor. Bodies one, two, and three, all male, had obviously died of gunshot wounds, but body four, which was female and in the basement, had no blood around it at all. This set Sara into thinking it might have been murder-suicide, because there was absolutely no sign of forced entry. Since body four appeared to have vomited, she was thinking that it was likely that she'd shot the other three, then overdosed on something, probably Tylenol, considering the nearby empty bottle. She swabbed the female's hands, planning to test for GSR.

Now, dusting for prints, she found several complete prints and even more partials. She lifted them all expertly, then went upstairs to tell Nick what she'd found.

Nick hadn't had much luck with his body on the second floor. The ventilation was much better on the top floor, which made it harder to collect prints. Since fingerprints were only body oils, they did eventually evaporate, so it was only in a few choice spots that he was able to recover anything. He came up with two completes and five partials, but that was all that was usable. Everything else was either too far gone or smudged.

"Let's take this back to the lab. Apparently they've updated a bit since Grissom last came up here," Sara said.

"That's good. Otherwise we'd have to send all of this back to Las Vegas. What a nightmare," Nick said.

"You're telling me. Apparently, they even have a real coroner now. You heard, right?" she asked.

"Heard what?" he asked.

"Last time Grissom was up here, the closest thing they had to a coroner was a vet," she mused.

"They had a vet release a scene?" he asked incredulously.

"Sure did."

Nick whistled. "That's dangerous."

"Yeah. Well, let's get going. Are you done here?"

"Just let me double check, and we'll be on our way." They'd been there for almost seven hours, and both of them were looking forward to a lemon shower. The coroner was right behind them, ready to cart the bodies back to the outdated, but existent, morgue.

Getting back into the Denali, Sara driving, they went to the closest, actually, the only general store to pick up some lemons. Nick was about to get out to go in, but Sara protested, saying that she'd rather.

When she came out, she was holding an opaque bag that obviously had some lemons in it, but it was clear to Nick that there was something else inside, although he couldn't tell what. He decided not to press the matter, since he'd obviously see it when they got back to the cabin they were renting for the few days they knew they'd be there.

-------------------------------------------Later that evening-------------------------------------------

Over supper, Sara suggested spontaneously, "Let's play Twenty Questions."

Nick chuckled and said, "Why?"

"Just because I want to. Please?" she asked, giving her best puppy dog look.

"Okay. I'll go first." He thought for a second. "Got it."

"Am I an animal?"

"Yes. Nineteen."

"Am I alive?"

"Yes. Eighteen."

"Evel Kneivel," she said, quickly, hardly having to think about it.

"Wow, you're good at this," he remarked.

"Thanks," she replied, mouth full of asparagus. "My turn…okay."

"Am I an animal?" he asked.

"Yes. Nineteen."

"Am I alive?"

"Not yet."

Nick dropped his fork.

She looked up at him innocently. "Eighteen."

"Are you pregnant?" he asked.

"Yes. Seventeen," she answered, not skipping a beat.

His jaw dropped. So _that's_ what she'd had in the bag…

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Author's Note: So terribly sorry about all the cliffies. Wait, I take it back. I love having all the cliffhangers. It's somewhat fun to see you all suffer and beg for more! Review and I might be tempted to continue…


	15. The Show

Author's Note: I think I have officially died and gone to heaven. At least, if I stacked all the reviews I've gotten end to end, they might get me halfway there. Ninety-five reviews! Thanks a million George Eadses to everybody who read, and thanks a billion George Eadses to everybody who reviewed! Sorry that last chapter was so short, I just thought that a slight cliffhanger was too good to pass up.

Sorry that it's taken me so long to update, but now it's Spring Break so I have much time to write! Yay!

As always, here are my replies to my beloved anonymous reviewers:

To **Allie**: Glad you liked the way I had her tell him. The reference to Twenty Questions was actually something I stole straight out of _Ocean's Eleven_, but I thought it was even more perfect since George did play Evel Kneivel. I love that he's sensitive so I decided to play on that a bit. Glad you enjoyed, and, as always, thanks for the review.

To **stepfordchild**: Actually, they did, I just didn't write it explicitly. If you reread the end of Chapter Eight, that's my subtle way of telling y'all that they finally hooked up!

To **jd**: Wow, I'm so glad that you stayed up late to read my story! I'm working on making my chapters longer. Thanks for the review, as always.

To **MollyMKS**: Thanks for the review! I have no idea where the Twenty Questions thing really came from. Just kind of came up behind me, grabbed me, and wouldn't let me go until I wrote it down. I recently saw _Ocean's Eleven_ again, and the scene with the Twenty Questions reference to Evel Kneivel was too good to pass up.

Spoilers: _Very_ minor spoiler to 'Bully for You'

Disclaimer: Do I look like Jerry Bruckheimer to you?

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"You're _pregnant_?" Nick asked, almost choking on his mashed potatoes.

Warily, Sara answered, "Yes…" She wasn't sure how he was going to react.

To Sara's surprise, he said, "That's great!" A heart-stopping grin spread across his face.

Instantly, Sara was relieved. "You think so?"

"Of course I think so! How could I not think so?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know…never mind, it's not important." She quickly took another bite of asparagus.

"Sara, you can tell me." There was something reassuring in his voice that calmed Sara right down.

She took a deep breath. She felt kind of stupid telling him this. "Well, did you know that pregnant women account for more than 60 percent of all murders of women? And that the vast majority of the time, the father is the murderer?"

Nick's jaw dropped. Quietly, he asked, "You thought I would _kill_ you? For something _I_ did?" He wasn't really sure whether to be concerned or insulted, but he chose the concerned route since he didn't really think she needed to have to deal with him being insulted.

She shrugged, looking down, rearranging her food on the plate. "I don't know…I never really seriously thought you would, but I can't really help the thought crossing my mind, especially after what we've seen at work."

Now he understood, and the concerned part definitely won over. "Sara, look at me. I would _never_ hurt you. Okay? _NEVER_. I love you more than you can ever know and more than I can ever tell you."

She looked up now. A small smile flickered across her face. "I love you too," she said, voice cracking a little bit as he could see her eyes well up.

"Shh, shh. Don't cry," he said, taking her hand in his across the table.

This made her want to cry even more, and a few tears rolled down her cheeks. She was immediately embarrassed and reached over for some tissue. "Damn hormones," she muttered.

To this, Nick just leaned over and kissed her. "Finish your supper and we'll talk some more after. No need to ruin this fine meal," he said, complimenting Sara on the delicious food they had in front of them.

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"Do you want a boy or a girl?" Sara asked.

Nick laughed. "Like we have a choice."

"I know, but which do you _want_? And don't give me that stupid line about it not mattering, as long as it's healthy. That's so cliché."

"Well, I really don't care, honestly. I think I'd really like a girl, though, if I _had_ to choose. How about you?" he asked, turning the tables.

"I'd like a girl too," she said quietly.

"What names do you like?"

"A bit early for that, don't you think? I'm only a couple days in."

"I know. I just want to know what you think."

"I've always really liked Madeline. And Tara," she added. Nick wrinkled his face at Tara. Sara laughed. "Okay, maybe not Tara. Got any better ideas?"

He thought for a moment, and then looked up as though he'd just found the perfect name. "Lana."

"Lana." She thought about it. "That's a nice name. Not my favourite, but it's okay."

They continued to eat, and the talk about names was forgotten.

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"We collected all the evidence for the scene, right?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. We could go back to Vegas if you want to."

"Well, a few more hours shouldn't make too much of a difference. Want to watch some TV?" he suggested.

"Sure." They sat down on the couch and Nick grabbed the remote, flicking on the TV.

"_Who…are you? Who, who? Who, who?_" came some music from the TV.

"What's this?" Nick wondered out loud.

"Oh! It's that show, I think it's called _CSI_ or something like that. It's about crime scene investigators in Las Vegas," Sara said.

"Who the heck would want to watch a show about crime scene investigators?" Nick asked.

"I really don't know. But apparently, it's the number one show in the country _and_ Canada."

As George Eads' picture came onto the screen, Sara said, "He's cute."

Nick swatted her. "What's up with his jaw? It's huge!"

"I like big jaws," Sara defended. "But he's not as cute as you," she added.

He grinned. "She's hot," he said, gesturing towards the shot of Jorja Fox. "But I much prefer you," he said, laying on his drawl a little more thickly than usual and leaning over to kiss her.

"They'd make a cute couple, don't you think?" Sara said.

"Yeah. Much better than her and that William Petersen guy."

"Who the heck is William Petersen?" Sara asked.

"I don't really know. But there's just something messed up about them having a relationship. It's like he's dating his daughter or something."

"Yeah, it is. Hey, doesn't she look a lot like Catherine?" Sara pointed out.

"Yeah, she does, actually." Nick tilted his head to the side. He pressed the TV listings button. "'Bully for You'. That's what this episode is called."

They continued to watch, and as the brunette on the TV turned away from a bad decomp and vomited right in front of a very handsome Texan, Sara let out a little squeal as he promised not to tell anyone.

"Girls," Nick muttered.

"Hey! I'm allowed to be human every once in a while too," Sara defended herself.

"I know, it's just that I never went one day without hearing a squeal exactly like that from one of my sisters. That just brought back old memories," he explained.

A knowing look crossed Sara's face. Turning her attention back to the TV, she heard, "_You know, a real man wouldn't mind_," coming from a semi-geeky DNA tech. He was talking to the brunette about her bad smell.

"This is kind of stupid," Sara said. "He is _definitely_ not a good match for her."

"No, definitely not." Finally, Nick slammed his hand down on the armrest of the couch.

Sara, startled and worried, asked, "What's the matter?"

"I just remembered! We worked a case almost exactly like this about four years ago!"

"Oh, yeah! I remember that!" Then she remembered that, like the TV character, she'd thrown up in front of a very handsome Texan under very similar circumstances.

Nick knew what she was thinking. "Just to let you know, I never did tell anyone."

She gave him a small smile. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"No need to thank me," he reassured.

Sara kept replaying the conversation over supper in her mind. She realized something. "Why do you want a girl? You're always complaining about having five sisters."

He laughed. "I'm not complaining, I'm just…commenting. I really like my sisters, and I think I can relate to girls better. I never spent much time with my brother. Always my sisters. That's just the way I am, I guess."

"I can understand that. Still, your house must have always been a nightmare, with all the permanent PMS, huh?"

He chuckled. "Let's not go there."

They finished watching the show, and then spent the next hour packing up and eventually got into the Denali and started the long drive back to Vegas.

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Author's Note: I wasn't trying to insult anyone with those names. Those aren't even my opinions; it's actually just really random. I kind of ran out of names after Chapter One, because I explained Nick's huge family. If anyone has a name that hasn't already been used, or if you want a character named after yourself, let me know in a review. I could really use more names! That little "Go" button is just begging for you to press it!


	16. The Name

Author's Note: I'm officially giving up on this case thing. I am _not_ good at writing mysteries. In a coming chapter, it'll be wrapped up. Sorry for that little blip on the radar. Also, in this chapter, there are some wedding developments…In the car on the drive back, of course. Has anybody noticed how everything important happens either while they're eating or while they're driving?

To **MollyMKS**: You were my first review on last chapter! Thanks so much. I definitely agree, GSR is just messed up. The only GSR story I can stand to read is 'Baby on the Way' by **i-love-svu**. (Haha, a bit of product placement there…) But, I started reading that before I was converted to Snickers. Trust me, I'm a diehard Snickers fan now. In the last chapter, I couldn't resist poking a bit of fun at the actual show. So glad you enjoyed!

To **Allie**: Well, if I can keep you hooked for any reason, then that's good enough for me! (Especially if you keep reviewing!) Actually, George Eads said on a talk show or something that he and Jorja had a deal that if they were both single when they were still 45, they'd 'consummate' their relationship. They are so totally Snickers fans (in my perfect world)! 'Bully for You' is actually my second favourite Season Two episode ('Chaos Theory' is my favourite), and that little moment of flirting between them over the decomp is really the icing on the cake. For anyone who cares, 'Sounds of Silence' and 'Ch-Ch-Changes' are tied for first overall. Mostly because I have very close ties to the Deaf community, and I know what they said at the end! (I can tell you all later if I feel like it…)

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Ich besitze nicht, verursachte ich nicht, und ich wünsche George hoffnungslos. Als immer.

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Sara was driving the Denali, but they now had a somewhat unwritten, unspoken rule. One person drove; the other chose the radio station. Naturally, it was now on Nick's station of choice, a country station. Sara would never admit it, but country was really growing on her. Nick, of course, was singing along with the song, laying his accent on extra thick. Sara was bobbing her head as little as possible, trying not to show that she was actually enjoying it.

Reading her mind, he goaded, "You know you want to."

She gave in and started trying to sing along, but she didn't know very many of the words so she eventually gave up and became content to bob her head and drum her fingers on the steering wheel. The song ended, and after a bit of DJ blabber, a song that was very familiar to Nick started to play.

It was Christmas in Las Vegas When the locals take- 

He flipped stations quickly, trying to avoid a repeat of the basement incident. Sara looked at him quizzically. He wasn't one to turn off a country song, and from the looks of things, he knew this particular song. She kept staring at him, glancing every so often at the road, but he offered no explanation.

She pressed him. "What was that about?"

He kept avoiding eye contact. "Nothing."

"Yes it was. Please tell me," she begged.

"I don't really want to talk about it." He wanted to stay the strong one, be the man, but he broke down. The last private event of that evening was quickly becoming public.

She reached over and took his hand. She knew he was going to start crying again.

He did. Through sobs, he said, "I was listening to…that song…when…I went to the trash…run."

"Oh, Nick," she sighed. Suddenly her heart melted all over again.

Nick mistook the sigh of empathy for a sigh of frustration. "I'm sorry. If I didn't know better, I'd think I was pregnant." He laughed dryly.

"Speaking of which…we need to plan this wedding."

Nick wiped his eyes. "So, you said you don't want a big wedding, right?" When she nodded, he said, "Why not?"

She shrugged. "It's not like there'll be anyone on my side of the aisle." Nick knew he'd accidentally hit a nerve, and he tried to lighten the situation.

"Oh, don't worry about that. My family's so big, it might be a good thing that there'll be so much room," he joked.

She gave him a look that plainly said, _Don't go there, Cowboy_.

He quickly realized his mistake and apologized.

"You want to meet my family first anyway, right?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'd like to see Texas too. I've never been there."

His jaw dropped. "Never been to Texas? What rock have you been living under?"

She shrugged, a little embarrassed by his reaction.

He nodded his head, and said with an extra thick drawl, "Well then, little lady, we'll just have to show you some proper Texan hospitality."

Sara laughed. "I'd like that."

"When we get back, we'll talk to Grissom about getting some time off. You have, what is it? Ten weeks?"

"Eleven, actually."

Nick whistled. In a singsong voice, he said, "Somebody needs to get out more…"

She slapped his hand. "How many do you have?"

He looked up as though counting. "I think about eight."

"Good. We'll have no trouble getting some time off, then."

"So, we're having the wedding in Texas, right?" he confirmed.

"Yeah. I'm looking forward to it," she said, slightly giddy.

"Excited much?" he teased.

"Yes!" she squealed.

"Why don't we worry about planning the wedding when we go to Texas? It would be a lot easier. We could actually go around and look at locations instead of calling long-distance and stuff," he suggested.

"Sounds good to me," she agreed. "I don't want to be stressing out yet. I want to be looking forward to this," she said, placing one hand on her stomach.

He reached over and covered her hand with his. "Me too," he said, smiling.

They continued to drive in silence, and Nick leaned his chair back a bit to rest. After dozing for a few minutes, he lazily awoke and suddenly bolted upright.

Sara was startled. "What?"

"I've just found the perfect name!" he exclaimed, but offered no more information.

"…And?" she prompted.

"Ciara!"

She gasped. "Oh my gosh, Nick, that is perfect! I love you now!"

Nick looked very proud of himself. Then he tilted his head to the side and said teasingly, "You didn't love me before?"

That earned him a punch and a smirk.

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Author's Note: Oooh! Guess what? I got a cell phone (yay!) and it's a camera phone! So, I have been Googling George Eads and Eric Szmanda, and taking pictures of their pictures online, and now they are my wallpaper on my phone! -Drool- (Oh dear, I am obsessed…). We broke a hundred reviews! Yay! Review more? (Please? Pretty please?)


	17. The Chat

Author's Note: Actually, I don't think I'm going to give up this case thing. I got a really good idea from an actual case a few years ago, and the way I've started, it actually really fits in rather nicely. Let's just see how this turns out. I've got to warn you all, though, I'm going to have all of the evidence, and the bodies and stuff moved back to Vegas and processed there. I like the Vegas crew too much to leave them out of this fic for too much longer. But I'm not going to do it regularly, with doubles and all that. I want…well, you'll see what I want.

Replies to my anonymous reviewers:

To **MollyMKS**: It's pronounced "See-are-ah" or "See-air-ah". Are you Irish? Because that's awesome. I'm actually naming this baby after somebody AWESOME who has been a huge inspiration to me! (You know who you are!) Haha – I have over twenty pictures of him and Eric Szmanda, the other very fetching young man on CSI on my phone now. My friends officially think I'm obsessed. Which is true. Thanks for the review!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: (Special thanks to **Little Tussi** for this one, because now the Norwegian is actually correct!) Jeg eier ikke, Jeg skapte ikke, Jeg vil desperat ha George.

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Back in Vegas, Nick and Sara unloaded the Denali with all of the evidence. As expected, two SUVs pulled up behind them in a few minutes carrying the bodies back. Sara suppressed a laugh when the driver of one got out of the vehicle as fast as he could and vomited. _He must be a rookie_, she thought.

The other driver took it much better. He managed to keep his lunch down, but wore a ginger look on his face. Even body bags didn't mask the smell of decomp.

Doc Robbins and Dave came out to help get the bodies inside, while Sara and Nick took the evidence.

Grissom greeted them at the door and said, "You guys look exhausted. Take your break before you start, okay?"

They happily agreed, thankful that they could rest for a few minutes. They'd be less likely to miss something that way.

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"Are you sure we should be doing this here?" Sara whispered loudly.

"Relax, it's not as if we're going to get caught," Nick replied.

He pulled her into the vacant layout room and quickly shut the door. Sara reached for the light switch, flicking on the fluorescence overhead.

Nick reached into his back pocket for his wallet. He took out all the pictures and laid them out strategically.

"You are going to have to explain this to me about fifty times," Sara said.

He laughed. "If I can remember them all."

He had laid the pictures in sort of a makeshift family tree. "Okay, so this is my mom and Cisco. These are my siblings, Ethan, Michele, Isabella, Flora, Lindsay, and Stephanie. But Lindsay usually goes by Silo." When Sara gave him a funny look, he said, "Don't ask." He laid out six more pictures on top of those. "These are their spouses. This is Jane, Magnus, Ewan, Peter, Simon, and Ryan. Here comes the tricky part now." Thirty-five pictures had to be arranged, including the latest sonogram picture of Kiefer. He went through them all, and by the time he was done, Sara looked a bit pale.

"And I have to _meet_ all these people?" she asked.

"Not just meet them. Live with them while we're in Texas, eat with them, talk to them, love them." He smiled. "But don't worry. They'll love you, I'm sure of it."

She kissed him gently. "Can we please _not_ talk about all of your cousins right now? This is too much information to absorb."

He chuckled. "Yeah, it's a lot." Now he grinned. "Wait until you see our Dutch Blitz tournaments."

"What's Dutch Blitz?" Sara asked.

He raised his eyebrows. "Vegetarian, never been to Texas, doesn't know how to ride a horse, and doesn't know what Dutch Blitz is? Wow, you'll fit in real well."

She punched him on the arm.

"It's a card game," he explained. "It's also a speed game. Put ten sets of Dutch Blitz cards in a room full of over a hundred people, and you've got a party that could rival most Super Bowl parties."

She whistled. Bigger than a Super Bowl party? Sara knew how much Nick liked his Super Bowl, so he knew what he was talking about. "You'll have to teach me," she said.

"Oh, don't worry. It's really easy to pick up. Perfecting your technique, now that's the tricky part."

"There's _technique_ involved? Is this a really physical game?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Well, it can get physical sometimes, but usually only between the guys. Don't worry, I'll teach you all my tricks," he assured her.

"Thanks." She leaned in to kiss him again. Neither of them heard the door open.

"Ahem," Warrick cleared his throat, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed.

They both pulled away and Sara blushed.

"You're just lucky it was me and not Grissom," he scolded.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't tell anyway, right?" Nick half-teased.

"Course not," he reassured, smiling at Sara. "But we need this room to examine some photos."

"Sure," Sara said, as Nick started to gather up all his family photos.

Warrick whistled. "Nick, I knew you had a big family, but…damn!"

They both laughed, walking out together, headed for the break room.

It was empty, so they crashed down on the couch together. Nick leaned into the corner and Sara snuggled up against him. "I wanted to ask you something," she said.

"Anything."

"Can we not tell anyone about me being pregnant for a while?" she asked.

"You're _what_?" they heard a very familiar voice say. They turned to see Catherine standing there.

Nick and Sara glanced at each other as if to say, _Well, so much for that_.

"I'm pregnant," Sara said matter-of-factly.

Catherine smiled a huge smile. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," they said together.

"When did you find out?" she asked.

"Yesterday," Sara replied.

Grissom came into the room just then and Catherine blurted out, "Sara's pregnant!"

"Catherine!" Sara said, slightly embarrassed and a bit annoyed.

With a sheepish grin on her face, Catherine said, "Oops."

Grissom pursed his lips together. "Pregnant?"

To Nick, Sara said, "This 'secret' is rapidly becoming public."

"Yep."

"Yes, Grissom, I'm pregnant. Would you like to know anything else?" she said, rather shortly.

He held up his hands in surrender. "I didn't ask."

She sighed. "I'm sorry. I just…argh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he assured.

Now Sara repeated her question. "Can we please just keep this between us for now?"

"Sure," they all agreed in unison.

"Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know that you can all go home. We're going to continue this case later. You guys had a hard day yesterday, most likely. The citizens of Jackpot are not always entirely cooperative, from what I can remember."

Nick laughed. "Thanks, Gris."

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They were home now, sitting on Sara's couch. "Why do you want to keep it a secret?" Nick asked.

"Well, I don't know. I just…the first trimester is the danger zone, right? So let's just lay low until we're through that."

"Fair enough," he said. "It's your choice. You're the one carrying our baby."

"Or babies," she corrected.

"Or babies," he repeated. He changed his tone. "You just made the doctor's appointment, right?"

"Yeah…"

"When is it?" he asked.

"Thursday at three."

"Can I…well…"

"What, Nick?"

"Can I come?"

She laughed. "Of course you can. Why else do you think I already phoned Grissom and made sure that he knew we were both going to be gone, regardless of if we were pulling a double?"

He was relieved. "Good."

"When are we going to Texas?" she asked.

"To meet my family?" he asked. She nodded. "When do you want to go?"

"As soon as we can," she replied eagerly.

"Good. I already booked a flight for Saturday."

She squealed with delight. "So, did you talk to Grissom?"

"Yeah, while you were in the bathroom throwing up."

"Thanks for reminding me," she pouted. "You try being pregnant," she whined.

"Uh, Sara, in case you haven't noticed, that's not really an option for me."

"Work with me here," she said.

"What do you want to do, have a psychologist session?" he asked sarcastically.

"Relax, all I said was that you should try being pregnant," she said, laughing.

"And all I said was that it isn't really an option for me," he retorted.

They stared at each other angrily for a minute before a smile began to tug at the corners of Nick's mouth. Finally he gave in, and they erupted into a fit of giggles.

"This will sound really weird, but…" Nick started to say.

"What will sound really weird?" prompted Sara.

"Well, will you…will you tell me what it's like?" he asked, a bit embarrassed at his own words.

"Being pregnant?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, still not meeting her gaze.

"Why?"

"I don't know…that's why I thought it would sound weird. I just…want to know, I guess."

"Okay, well, for starters, puking like twice a day _sucks_. And my head really hurts. That's about it so far."

"Oh…well." He was a bit surprised that she'd been so blunt.

"Believe me, I'll keep you posted," she assured.

Amusement flickered across his face. "I'm sure you will."

She threw a pillow at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Nick looked at her, playing dumb. "I don't know, what do you think it means?"

She rolled her eyes. "Men."

This entire conversation had been rather embarrassing for Nick, and now that was starting to take its toll. First asking if he could come to her doctor's appointment, then asking if she'd tell him what being pregnant is like.

Nick yawned.

"Tired, Cowboy?" she asked.

"Hey, that reminds me. I have to teach you how to play Dutch Blitz!" he said, a bit too excitedly.

"Not now, Nick, I'm too tired. Oh, that's the other thing. Even after only two days or whatever, I'm all of a sudden exhausted. I, Sara Sidle, do not get tired. Much less exhausted. What's that all about?"

"Why are you asking me? I wouldn't know," he shrugged.

"Right, Mr. I-Have-Five-Sisters-So-Now-Apparently-I'm-The-Expert-On-Women."

He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "When we go to Texas, you can talk to Stephanie. Actually, you can talk to anybody. Well, the women, anyway. I'm not sure you'd get very far with any of the guys."

"Stephanie's the pregnant one, right?" she asked, a little confused.

"Yeah."

"I can't wait to meet your family!" she squealed.

"Oh, you will, darlin'. You will," he said, as he flashed her another of his famous heart-stopping grins.

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Author's Note: For the record, Dutch Blitz is a real game. It's not just any game, though. It's _the_ game. So much fun. You should see my family go at it. See, the trick is to slam your cards down really hard, so that...well, you'll see why in the next couple of chapters. That is, if you keep reviewing! Again, I need tons of names, because I still have to name Nick's cousins.


	18. The Case

Author's Note: I know Sara is actually older than Nick, but, as usual, I'm taking more creative license. Now she is a year or so younger than him. And I'm doing a huge time-cheat with the case. Actually like an everything-cheat. Information, time, surveillance, the whole nine yards. Hey, do you guys know where the phrase, "The whole nine yards" comes from? Really high-end suits used to be made with nine yards of fabric, so if you ordered a suit with "the whole nine yards", it meant you were going all the way. Yeah. That was very Grissom, wasn't it? Sorry.

Has anybody noticed how ironic it is that Keith URBAN sings COUNTRY songs?

To **MollyMKS**: Thanks so much for the review! Oh yeah, the cat's out of the bag now. I have an enormous family too. Like fifteen first cousins on my mom's side and about thirty on my dad's. It's actually a bit of a nightmare at times. I thought it would be cute for Nick to want to relate, so that's why I threw that in there. Glad you liked it!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, we wouldn't have to wait two or three weeks between new episodes. It would be like, two seconds. Maybe minutes. Three hours, tops.

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The pair lay dozing on Sara's couch when the phone awoke them.

Sara grumbled but reached over Nick to answer the cordless.

"Hello?"

"_Sara, it's Grissom. I'm sorry, but we need you both here now. We mad a major breakthrough on the case_."

"Okay, I'll wake Nick. We'll be there shortly."

"_Okay, thanks_."

She hung up. "Nick," she whispered. "Nick," she said a little more loudly when he didn't reply. She groaned. This man slept like the dead. Finally he woke up. "Grissom needs us," she said to him reluctantly.

He groaned.

"I know, I know. But we have to go. Grissom said they made a breakthrough."

"Fine."

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Doc Robbins had autopsied the girl found at the scene. She had been ID'd as Mandy Hawkins, age seventeen. Cause of death wasn't drug overdose, as Sara had suspected, but manual strangulation. She had no Tylenol in her system, but her hands still tested positive for GSR. There was one more thing to add to the mix: She was eight weeks pregnant.

Body One, which had been found on the top floor, was ID'd as Rory O'Brien, age 21. He had died of a gunshot wound to the head, but there was no GSR on his hands.

Body Two, found on the main floor, was 18-year-old Jonathan Jennings, who, like Rory, had died of a gunshot wound to the torso but whose hands tested negative for GSR.

Body Three, found near the girl in the basement, was ID'd as Cory Kendall, aged 19. Gunshot wound to the head, no GSR.

They'd run a background check on everyone, and they found out that Mandy worked at the general store, Rory pumped gas at the one and only gas station, Jonathan was a volunteer Park Ranger, and Cory, an Olympic contender, was an instructor at the gymnastics facility.

Doc had collected a sample for a paternity test for Mandy, but the results hadn't come through yet. Now they were just waiting.

In the break room, everybody was discussing the case. Nick and Sara had been the ones to collect the evidence, but everybody was working it.

Nick and Sara were sitting close together on the couch, Nick's arm around Sara's shoulder.

Grissom said, "Paternity test is in. Would the real Cory Kendall please stand up?"

"The gymnast was the father?" Warrick asked.

"Yep," Grissom said.

"She was only seventeen, he was nineteen. That's statutory rape," Catherine said.

"Just because it's illegal doesn't mean people don't do it," Grissom said.

"True," Catherine acknowledged.

Taking charge again, Grissom said, "Okay, so what do we know? Where did these people go? What did they do? Who were they with? We need answers."

Nick spoke up. "The last time Mandy was seen, she was with Rory at the shooting range. I dug up some surveillance. Mandy frequented the shooting range, and this time she took Rory with her. Witnesses say he refused to fire the weapon."

"That would explain the GSR on her hands," Warrick stated.

"Yeah, but we still don't know who strangled her," Grissom said.

"Let's just see if we can do this logically," Sara suggested. "Let's just say that Mandy goes to the shooting range with Rory. She fires the weapon, he doesn't. They go back to her house and meet up with Cory and Jonathan. Cory is a gymnast, and those who knew him say he loved showing off how he could write things with his toes and how flexible he was. Apparently he could put both feet around the back of his head at once – without using his hands. A guy with that kind of podiatric dexterity would have no trouble firing a gun with his toes. Can Doc test him for GSR on his toes?"

"Yeah. I'll call him right now," Grissom said.

Moments later, he returned. "He couldn't stop laughing, but I think I finally got through to him that this is serious. He's testing right now."

Sara continued. "So, assuming he tests positive for GSR, we can assume that he waited at Mandy's house for her to come back. We know that Mandy and Rory were really close friends, so it probably wasn't that out of the ordinary for him to come to her house. Cory kills Rory to get him out of the way, strangles Mandy in the basement, dumps the Tylenol beside her, and commits suicide." She looked rather pleased with herself.

Catherine quickly burst her bubble. "Well, that's all well and good, but how did Jonathan Jennings end up dead?"

Sara pouted.

"I have a theory," Nick piped up. "I talked to the Forest Authority. You know how the house was really secluded? Well, the FA checked the houses around there too, just routine stuff. Maybe Jennings was just checking in, saw something he shouldn't."

"Innocent bystander," Sara completed.

"Yeah. There you go. Now all we have to do is wait for the result and see if the evidence coincides."

Everybody chatted for a few minutes until the call came from Doc Robbins. The room quieted down as Grissom talked with him. "Okay…yes…yes…yes…yes…maybe…yes…thanks." He snapped the flip phone shut, but offered no information.

Warrick tilted his head forward a bit. "Well?"

"Well what?" Grissom asked. "Oh! Yeah, Cory had GSR on his toes. Looks like we've solved this case. You can all go home now, you've all worked hard and it's only fifteen minutes until the end of shift anyway."

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Sara was awfully quiet on the way home, and Nick noticed it. "Penny for your thoughts," he said.

"Oh," Sara said, stirred from her thoughts. "Why do you think Cory killed Mandy?"

"She was pregnant with his child. He was nineteen, she was seventeen, it was an illegal relationship. I don't really know."

"See, that's what I was afraid of."

He reached over the centre console and took her hand. "I want you to know something. I will _always_ love you, okay? Always."

She gave a small smile. "Likewise, Cowboy."

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Thursday, 2:45 PM – Doctor's Office 

"Hi, Sara Sidle. I have a three o'clock with Dr. Holmes," Sara said to the receptionist.

"Very good, Ms Sidle. She'll be with you shortly. Please have a seat," she replied pleasantly.

Sara and Nick sat down in one of the relatively uncomfortable chairs. During that time, Nick tried to explain Dutch Blitz to her, but it was no use without the actual cards there.

At three o'clock exactly, a nurse came out and said, "Sara Sidle?"

She gathered her purse and coat, and Nick followed her into the examination room. The nurse eyed him warily at first, but a nod from Sara told the nurse it was okay. She handed Sara an examination gown. "Put this on," she directed. "Dr. Holmes will be in to see you in five minutes."

"Thank you," Sara said.

The nurse left, closing the door.

Suddenly Sara felt very awkward with Nick there. It was one thing for him to see her in a romantic context, medically was for some reason, entirely different.

He could feel her concern and said, "I can leave if you want."

She bit her lip, contemplating for a moment. "No," she said finally. "You can stay. I want you to stay."

"Okay, but if you change your mind…" he trailed off.

She changed into the gown and sat on the edge of the table. Somebody knocked on the door. "Decent?" came a friendly voice.

_Not that it really matters_, thought Sara. "Yes."

Dr. Holmes sat down on a chair at the end of the table, holding a clipboard. "So I understand that you think you're pregnant?" she said. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. I took a pregnancy test five days ago and it was positive."

"Okay, well, lie down, I'm just going to examine you here."

Nick started to look a bit uncomfortable, but it was nowhere near the embarrassment that Sara was feeling. He tried to distract himself, looking at the floor, counting the dots in the ceiling tiles, anything to make himself feel less like he was there. Thankfully, the seat he had was against the wall on the side of the table and not the end, so he couldn't see what was going on.

When Dr. Holmes was finished, she told Sara to sit up. She complied.

"Yes, you are pregnant, but everything seems to be fine. Do you have any questions?"

"Yeah, actually. Can you estimate a due date or anything?"

"Well, when would you place conception?"

"Umm…" Sara was counting back. "A week ago?"

"Well then, I would say about September 30th. Anything else?" Dr. Holmes asked.

"What can I expect in the near future? Lately, I've been completely exhausted, puking one to three times a day, and my head hurts all the time," Sara half-complained.

"Those are all normal symptoms, but you seem to be vomiting a little more than the norm. If that doesn't stop relatively soon, come back and we'll fix that."

"One more question: miscarriage."

That was all Sara needed to say. "Ah, yes, miscarriage. About one-fifth of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, and it usually happens before the twentieth week," she explained, somewhat sadly.

"Okay, well, thank you, Dr. Holmes. When should I make my next appointment?"

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"Well, that wasn't awkward," Nick said as they walked out to the Denali.

"You're telling me," Sara chortled. "So? What do you think?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. About what?"

"All of it, I guess."

"Well, the miscarriage thing is a bit worrying, but other than that…I don't know. What do you think?"

"Same. We'll tell everyone else once we're through the danger zone, okay?" Sara asked.

"Sure."

They got into the Denali and drove to Nick's house. It was closer than Sara's and she was really hungry.

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Saturday – McCarran Airport 

"_This is the final boarding call for flight 256 to Dallas, Texas. Please report to Gate 12_," came the announcement over the PA system.

Sara was very excited about going to Texas for the first time, and Nick could definitely tell. She was squirming, waiting for the plane to take off. To Nick, it was nothing special. He was more concerned about how he was going to face his father than anything else.

"What're you thinking about?" Sara asked Nick.

He was shaken from his thoughts. "Oh, just…stuff."

"Like what?" she pressed.

"Cisco."

That was all the answer she needed. "Oh."

Changing the subject, he said, "Are we going to tell my family about you being pregnant?"

"Define family…"

"Mom, Cisco, my siblings, their spouses, and their kids?"

"Mmm…" She was uncomfortable with that many people knowing, and he sensed it right away.

"We could just tell Mom and Cisco."

"And your sister Michele. She sounds nice, and from the way you talk about her, she's really good at keeping a secret."

He smiled. "Yeah, she is. She's my best friend. Well, was, until I moved away. Now Warrick and I are best friends, but Michele will always be my partner in crime."

"Well, technically, Warrick is your partner in crime. After all, we do work at a crime lab," she teased.

"Work with me here."

"Okay, we can tell those three people. But only those three, nobody else," she added quickly.

"Agreed," he said, and kissed her on the forehead.

They felt the jets roar to life beneath them, and Sara squealed with excitement. She was finally going to Texas.

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Author's Note: I am no expert on pregnancy, so bear with me. Most of the stuff I just make up, but some of it is off the Internet or wherever. Reviews greatly appreciated!


	19. The Arrival

Author's Note: I want to thank absolutely everybody who's reading this far. Last night, I stayed up until 7 AM and then I fell asleep for a few hours. When I woke up, I had six new emails! Six! I could have died and gone to heaven right there. But then I wouldn't have been able to finish the story. Which would suck. I honestly have no idea how long this thing is going to be, but I can promise you all that it's not ending anytime soon…

The 'secret language' mentioned in here is actually something my sister and I use. Translations are at the end of the phrases.

I don't know if they had sonogram 35 years ago, but let's pretend they did. Work with me.

To **jd**: Firstly, thanks for the review. I really wanted to show that Nick could be vulnerable, and you'll see a contrast now with him and his father in this chapter. I'm trying with this whole pregnancy thing, but like I said, I'm no expert. Bear with me, will you everybody?

To **MollyMKS**: I was totally hoping that someone would review that. By the way, the case I mentioned I was modeling it after? Well, I didn't. Just the shooting range part. In the actual case, this guy took his girlfriend to a shooting range because he wanted to get GSR on her hands so he could stage a suicide. She didn't fire it, but he killed her anyway. He got caught. I can totally see the flashback too, that would be…interesting, to say the least. Thanks for the review.

To **Allie**: You know you always get review responses! You never have to ask. I love "Going to Texas" stories too. I know! It should definitely be now. Not 45. But that's somewhat okay, because it still gives me 14 years to win George Eads over. I was actually a GSR fan before, but I was pulled over to the Snickers side very quickly by this website. No worries, though. I'm definitely _not_ going back to GSR. I am now disgusted by it. I'm not really sure what you mean by "What did they say at the end of the episode?" If you're asking about the ending, (_Severe Spoiler Warning_) it was the guidance counsellor, and Grissom said something like, "As bad as high school can be, eventually it's over. But too soon for Barry Shickle." I think.

Spoilers: None that you haven't already encountered.

Disclaimer: I don't own it, I didn't create it, and I want George desperately. But you already knew that.

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The plane ride was uneventful. When they landed in Dallas, Sara was hit with a different kind of heat than they had in Las Vegas. It was more humid, so the air seemed heavier.

Nick pulled a surprise out of his bag, once they'd claimed their luggage. It was a Stetson.

Sara groaned. "That's such a terrible cliché," she whined.

"Admit it, Sidle, you like it," he goaded.

"You know I do," she said bluntly. "There's just something about a man in a cowboy hat."

"Okay, I changed my mind. We have to fly back to Vegas right away. If you like guys in cowboy hats, I'm doomed. I'll have no fiancée by the time we get back."

She laughed. "Trust me, Cowboy, there's nobody I'd rather be with than you," she said, leaning up to kiss him.

"That's good," he mumbled, returning the kiss. "We should go meet my mom. She's coming to pick us up."

Nick was a bit nervous. He'd told his family that he was bringing Sara home, but not that they were engaged. All they knew was that he and Sara were friends.

They wheeled their baggage to the huge revolving doors and Sara knew instantly that there were more people there than his mom. She was greeted by six women and one man, all redheads. Instantly, Sara felt sick. _Oh, no, not now baby, not now. I love you, but you can't make me throw up now._ She knew she was going to lose it. "Nick, I have to go to the bathroom _now_."

He understood immediately. "Go."

She needed no encouragement. She only made it around the corner out of sight before throwing up into the nearest garbage can. When she returned, Jillian, Nick's mother, gave her a suspicious glance, but it melted when they were formally introduced.

Nick stepped in and introduced her to everybody else. "Everybody, this is Sara. Sara, this is my brother Ethan, this is Michele, Isabella, Flora, Silo, and Stephanie."

She was thrown through a loop with all the hugs she was getting. Sara hadn't been big on hugging until she met Nick. Now it was all she wanted to do with him, among other things. She heard some strange jabbering coming from Nick and Michele. It was full of Gs and Ds.

"Idagis shedagee predagegnadagant (Is she pregnant)?" Michele asked Nick. She'd figured it out very quickly that they had a relationship, and the ring on Sara's finger was a dead giveaway.

"Wowdagow, youdagoo dodagon't midagiss adaga thidaging (Wow, you don't miss a thing)," Nick said. Even though Sara couldn't understand what they were saying, Sara could detect some sarcasm in his voice. Michele beamed at whatever it was he'd said to her.

Jillian piped up, "None of that, guys. I've been telling you that for years. It's rude to keep people out of your conversations." Nobody in the family had ever been able to figure the language out.

Nick glanced at Michele in defeat. She returned the glance. They both shrugged at the same time, and Sara instantly saw the same mannerism in Michele that she'd seen numerous times in Nick over the years. They looked so much alike, Michele could have been a female version of Nick. She, like Nick, had a strong jaw, but it was a little less well-defined. Mostly what Sara noticed was her ears. She had exactly the same ears as Nick. The major difference was that Michele was a redhead.

"Just how many cars did you bring?" Nick asked.

Jillian replied, "We brought three. The station wagon and the silver sedan and Michele drove her Mustang."

"Who's riding with whom?" Nick asked. Sara was glad that he was doing all the talking. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she'd puke again, plus she was really nervous around new people, something she'd always been able to hide but was now floundering to do.

"Well, you guys will probably want to ride together. Want to go with Michele?" Jillian suggested.

Nick whispered something in her ear, and Sara hesitantly nodded, but looked sure of her decision.

"Before we go, we'd just like to make an announcement." He took Sara's hand before speaking again; similar to the way they'd done when telling the lab. "We're engaged."

Sara laughed at the reaction. All the women's hand flew to their mouths simultaneously. _Gee, they're not related_, she thought. They all let out high-pitched squeals and a couple of them flapped their hands excitedly.

"It's about time Nick fell in love!" Silo exclaimed, which made Nick turn red.

"And we have one more announcement," Sara continued. She glanced up at Nick, making sure it was okay. Everybody was waiting expectantly.

"It's up to you," he whispered. She smiled. Now she was sure.

"I'm pregnant."

Picture the reaction to the engagement news times ten.

Finally, they decided that Sara and Nick would ride with Michele, and they left before anybody else finished making their arrangements.

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Michele was driving her convertible and Sara sat in the front seat, Nick in the back.

Nick was trying to tune out the "girl talk" but eventually gave up and decided to listen in. He might learn something. He was glad they'd bonded so quickly, and was surprised that Sara would be talking about pregnancy with somebody she'd only met about half an hour ago. It didn't surprise him at all that Michele was talking about it; she'd always been very frank.

"So, how many kids do you have again?" Sara asked.

"Five," Michele answered. "Charlie, Michael, Duncan, Chad, and Madison."

Sara whistled. "Only one girl?"

"Yeah. Hey, did Nick ever tell you about his sonogram picture when he wasn't born yet?" She glanced mischievously in the rear-view mirror.

He groaned. "Aww, come on, Michele. Not that story," he pleaded.

Now Sara was interested. "Yes, Michele, that story. Do tell."

Michele ignored her brother's whining and said, "His first sonogram, the doctor said he was a girl. Apparently there wasn't much there to prove otherwise, if you get my drift." She winked.

Nick groaned. Now she'd done it. She was going to pay for that. "Michele, I'd be careful if I were you. I still have dirt on you that Mom and Cisco don't know about. Remember when you were in tenth grade?"

Her eyes flew wide open and she said, "You wouldn't!"

Nick nodded, satisfied he'd won. He was wrong.

She came back with, "I'm sure they'd be very interested to hear about _your_ tenth grade year, too."

He pouted, knowing that he'd have to top that.

Sara was enjoying the playful banter. She glanced back at Nick and saw him thinking hard. Suddenly he grinned, and she knew he'd come up with something to trump her.

"March 14, 1989," was all he said. He looked very pleased with himself, but no matter what he said, Michele was always able to top it.

She retorted, "August 4, 1990."

He replied without missing a beat, "January 1, 1990. Or should I say December 31, 1989?" he added with a glint in his eye.

"You know what? You're being stupid," she said.

"You know what? You're being stupider," he said in a childish way.

"Smelly," she said.

"Blondie," he replied. Sara made a note to ask him about that later.

"Go jump in a lake."

"Go boil your head."

"Go suck a lemon."

"You know what? Psht."

They both grinned. It was a routine they'd had going on since they were teenagers.

Sara, wanting to change the subject, asked Michele, "So, what is the hardest thing about being pregnant?"

"Bluntly?"

Sara nodded.

"Being horny all the time," she said matter-of-factly as she did a shoulder-check to see who was coming as she changed lanes.

Sara turned bright red and Nick just grinned.

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They arrived at the Texas ranch shortly after. Nick unloaded the bags, a bit paranoid. Sara insisted that she could do it herself, but he didn't want her lifting anything heavy.

They walked in and Sara was greeted by a sinfully good smell. At least she would have thought it was sinfully good if she didn't feel like throwing up right then.

"Nick," she said, tugging at his shirt urgently. "Bathroom."

He took her arm and they half-ran to the nearest bathroom, barely managing to close the door behind them as she bent over the toilet, puking her guts out. He rubbed her back gently until she finished.

She was becoming less and less embarrassed each time Nick saw her throw up. At the same time, though, she was becoming more and more embarrassed. She didn't really know why, or how to explain it, but that's just the way it was. Maybe she was becoming less and less embarrassed because he showed that he cared for her so much each time. Maybe her embarrassment was getting worse because she was falling deeper and deeper in love with him.

When she finished, she wiped her mouth and Nick got her a glass of water. She gurgled. She was really going to have to remember to keep a bottle of water with her at all times. The throwing up wasn't exactly on a schedule, and she always wanted to be prepared.

He sat down on the floor, leaning against the bathtub. She leaned against the wall, perpendicular to him. They were quiet for a minute. What Sara didn't know was that Nick was equally as embarrassed to see her throw up. He felt like he was embarrassing her, and that embarrassed him. She finally looked up at him. "I love you," she said quietly.

"I love you too," he replied, taking her hand and smiling.

"Can we get married while we're down here?" she asked.

He was surprised. "You mean, within the next two weeks?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"If you want to," he said.

"I want to," she answered.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, because I was going to ask you if we could."

"Good." She was quiet for a moment. "Let's get married next Saturday."

"Okay."

This was a very one-worded conversation, but they both liked it. It was strangely intimate.

Nick saw Sara's face contorted again as she pushed herself back over to the toilet and puked again.

"Like I said, you try being pregnant," Sara said.

He kissed her on the forehead. "No, I'll leave that to you," he joked.

She glared at him. If looks could kill, Sara would suddenly have the need to hide a body.

He held his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely, and then kissed her on the forehead again.

When they came back from the bathroom, Michele shot them a suspicious glance.

"We were just having…a moment," Nick explained, not realizing how it sounded.

"Sure you were," Michele agreed skeptically, a smirk on her face.

"We actually were just having a moment," Sara confirmed.

Michele still looked dubious.

"If you must know, I was puking my guts out."

Now Michele understood. "Morning sickness," she said knowingly.

"You're telling me," Sara answered.

"But it's the afternoon," Nick said, confused.

"It's just called morning sickness, Nick. It doesn't always happen in the morning. I would think you'd know that," Sara explained.

Just then, a flood of redheads came through the door. Everybody else had arrived.

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Author's Note: Reviews make me one happy camper…of course, George would make me an entire happy campground.


	20. The Problem

Author's Note: Wow! Somebody (**GURL-from-MARZ**) actually told me that there should be an All You Need Is Love fan club! That was definitely the best thing I've heard in a long time! Wow. Okay. Calming down.

To **MollyMKS**: The image of Nick in a cowboy hat is a lovely image, isn't it? I'm thinking there will be more of the 'language' (which, by the way, is called Double Dutch), but it's hard to type so it will probably be minimal. I don't really care if they had sonogram back then either, but whatever. And believe me, beans will be spilt.

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: (Review for Ch 17) Seventy-some cousins. Thirty-four and a half nieces and nephews. I'm so very glad that FanFiction is working again, I hate it when it does that.

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: (Review for Ch 18) I used that line from "To Tell The Truth". I honestly don't know how being in a plane would affect a pregnant person. If anybody knows, please message me or something!

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: (Review for Ch 19) How Ms Sinclair puts up with us, I'll never know. But yes, it was modeled after our own playful banter. By the way, you've been very busy. Three reviews in one day? Wow.

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I have asked, begged, pleaded, done tricks, and petitioned, and I still don't own CSI. Fancy that.

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Everybody sat down around a huge table stocked with enough food to feed a small army. Right now, it was just Nick's immediate family. He didn't want to overwhelm her. Sara, who'd thrown up three times already that day, was thankful that she wasn't feeling sick from the smell of the food, or the taste of it for that matter.

Everybody was eating and chatting, getting to know Sara. She was pretty sure that she knew everybody's names by now, but she mentally ran through everybody. Satisfied that she'd gotten it right, she continued to converse with Nick's family.

Nick's father, Bill, arrived just then, and Sara thought you could have cut the tension with a knife.

"Cisco," Nick said, trying to pretend nothing was wrong.

"Poncho," his dad said, but either he was a very good actor, or he really didn't think there was anything wrong between them. "This must be Sara," he said, sitting down at the head of the table.

"Pleased to meet you, Judge," Sara said.

"Likewise," he said, smiling. He noticed the look that everybody else had, like the cat that's got the canary. He zoned in on Stephanie. "What do you know that I don't?"

Stephanie had always been the one to crack the easiest, and now was no exception. She glanced at Sara and Nick, silently asking if she could tell them. With approval, she said, "Sara and Nick are engaged."

Judge Stokes seemed a little surprised at that, but not in an angry way.

"And that's not all," Stephanie continued. "Sara's pregnant!"

Bill seemed a little taken aback, but again, he wasn't angry. "Congratulations!" he said.

"Thanks, Cisco," Nick said. Sara just smiled. What she didn't want people to know was that she was smiling to keep from throwing up. After all, smiling did suppress the gag reflex.

Finally she knew she couldn't hold it in any longer. She got up nonchalantly, walked as slowly as she could handle to the bathroom, and quickly gave up her supper to the toilet. She did not like throwing up so much.

When she returned to the table, Nick gave her a worried glance, but she shook her head slightly as if to say, "Don't worry about it."

He reached over and squeezed her hand gently, smiling at her.

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Nick's mother Jillian had figured beforehand that they were more than just friends, so she'd only prepared one room with one bed.

They lay, snuggled up to each other, inches from sleep, when Sara suddenly blurted out, "I need to find a wedding dress!"

"Oh, yeah. You do." He was obviously very sleepy and didn't want to talk, but Sara didn't pick up on that.

"Should I have a really big one or just a slim one or what?" she asked.

"Mmpht," Nick mumbled into his pillow.

"Where are we going to have the wedding?" she asked. "I was thinking here would be really nice, how about you?"

"I don't really know, Sara, and I don't want to talk right now. I'm tired," he grumbled.

"Sorry," she said, now realizing her mistake.

"It's alright. Just go to sleep now, okay?" he pleaded.

She rolled over so her back faced him.

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They woke facing away from each other, but Nick rolled over and took Sara's face in his hand, kissing her on the cheek. She shied away, and this surprised Nick.

"What's the matter?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm just really…not touchy-feely right now," she tried to explain. She didn't really understand why. "Probably just hormones. I'm sorry," she apologized.

Nick was a little disappointed. "That's okay. I'm going to get up now. I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she replied. A few minutes later, she got up too.

Nick's sisters had all come over earlier. They were sipping coffee in the living room with Jillian. "Mornin', ladies," he said, but without a grin.

"Mornin'," they all replied cheerfully. Only Michele noticed something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Nick?" Michele asked, worried.

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"Can we please not talk about this right now?" he pleaded.

"Sara problems, huh?" she said. It was more of a statement than a question. He didn't reply. "Want to talk?"

He thought for a minute. "Okay."

The two went into one of the guest rooms.

"Spill," Michele commanded.

"Well, I kissed her this morning, and she turned away from me. I don't understand it. She said it was probably just hormones, but…I don't know." He paused for a minute. "When you were pregnant, did that happen a lot? Not wanting to touch people?"

"A bit. Mostly with Charlie and Michael. I think maybe it's a first baby type thing. It happened to Stephanie and Flora too."

Nick was instantly relieved. "Good. I was worried for a minute there."

"Don't worry. You're going to make a great daddy," she said with a smile.

He hugged her. "Thanks."

"Anytime, baby brother."

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Sara and Nick announced that day that they were getting married in Texas. Everybody was just beaming at the news, and Michele instantly stole Sara away to talk logistics.

"So, you're getting married here, right?" Michele asked.

"Yes, we were going to have the wedding in the backyard."

"That's where I had mine," Michele told her.

"Oh, that's neat," Sara commented.

"What kind of dress are you getting?" Before Sara had a chance to answer, Michele gasped, "We need to go shopping! Get your stuff, we're going right now."

"But –" Sara protested.

"No arguing. Once a Stokes has made up their mind, there's no going back."

"I've noticed."

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Author's Note: I'm liking this story. It's writing itself. Reviews would help me know whether I should take back control or just let it keep writing itself. This is a not-so-subtle hint. Sorry about this chapter being a little short. Chapter Twenty-One will be up later today or tomorrow. Most likely today. Especially if you review.


	21. The Anticipation

Author's Note: This is going a little slowly, so after the wedding, I'm going to speed things up a bit. And just to clarify one thing: Originally, they were going to Texas to meet Nick's family, then going back to Vegas, then going back to Texas again for their wedding. But now I changed it so there's only one visit. So now, I'm just speeding up the timeline a bit here.

And I decided to stick a little bit of my second favourite ship in here. (This is dedicated to all you YoBlingers!)

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: Wow. You are a machine. Four reviews in one day? That rivals my chapter writing speed early on in this story. But not really. Anyway, thanks for the review. And you know I didn't mean it when I called you Ms. Tuba. And I only need one guess as to who you want to kick, and I only have one thing to say to that: Can I help? Nick's sisters…dragging into lingerie store…hmmm…

To **MollyMKS**: Thanks for the review. Yes, I'm quite sure that the shopping trip should be quite interesting…

To **Allie**: (Review for Chapter 19) Believe me, there will be embarrassing stories galore. I really wish George and Jorja would wake up and smell the Blue Hawaiian. They should definitely get together before six more years. With any luck, the show will still be on. It better be. Don't worry, there's NO chance of me going back to the GSR side. I totally agree, the Snickers side has all the better authors. I'm now officially a diehard Snickers shipper.

To **Allie**: (Review for Chapter 20) I love that you're loving it. Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you liked the last lines between Sara and Michele. (And by the way, thanks for the review on my oneshot too!)

Spoilers: None, although I did steal one line from 'Swap Meet'

Disclaimer: (Norwegian again. I couldn't resist. I love Greg too much, I just had to keep paying tributes. Thanks again to **Little Tussi** for the translation!) Hvis jeg eide C.S.I., tror du virkelig at jeg ville ha vrt her enda?

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Michele practically dragged Sara into the mall, determined to find a wedding dress for her. There were three bridal shops in this mall, which was surprising considering its relatively small size. They went into the first shop, but Sara hated everything in there. They were all very gaudy, and a bit outdated.

"Let's go into another one," Michele said. Sara would have rather been anywhere but there.

The second store had a few possibilities, but nothing absolutely outstanding. The one that Sara thought had the most potential was white and sleeveless (but it had thick straps). The only problem with it was that it was more like an evening gown, slim and form fitting, but it didn't flow outwards at the waist. It just went straight down the whole way. Michele said that she looked really nice in it and that Nick would appreciate how it showed off her curves. Sara thought it was too plain. She wanted something that flowed out more. Not a poof, but still more flowing. She kept it in mind as they entered the third shop, but quickly forgot it when she saw what was on display in the middle of the room.

It was a strapless, ivory dress, which was exactly, what Sara had been thinking of. It had a fitted bodice and flowed out in exactly the way Sara had wanted. It was slightly ribbed on the bodice and had a small, layered fold in the centre of the skirt. It came with gloves that went above the elbow, and it felt like a dream.

Michele's jaw dropped. "Wow," was all she could say.

Sara nodded, speechless.

"You have to try it on," Michele finally managed to say.

Sara took it into the change room and tried it on, and when she came out Michele grinned.

"This is the one," Michele said. "It's perfect for you!" she exclaimed. Sara turned to look at herself in the mirror, and she gasped, knowing Michele was right. It fit her form perfectly, flattering her shoulders and hips and giving her a tan appearance.

They both knew that there would never be a better dress for Sara, so she bought it right then and there.

The dress was very heavy, and Michele insisted on carrying it since Sara was pregnant. They loaded it into the car, and then realized that she needed shoes to go with it.

They bought what may have been the most uncomfortable pair of shoes in the entire state. They had two-and-a-half inch heels and were the strappiest pair of shoes either of them had ever seen. Sara had laughed when she bought them, which confused Michele.

"I once jumped on a coworker when he said shoes like these were sexy. I explained to him very clearly that shoes like these put degenerative stress on the hip joints, throw off the curve of the spine, and the tilt to the pelvis, and that over time, women get headaches, sore backs, shortened calf muscles and, of course, bunions. I just wonder what he'd say if he saw me in these, that's all."

Michele laughed. "Well, just because they're bad for you doesn't mean you can't wear them every once in a while, right?"

"Right," Sara agreed, laughing, as they left the shoe store together and headed back to the car.

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Sara came home to a very worried Nick. "What's the matter?" she asked, concerned.

"I was just worried about you, that's all," he confessed.

"Nick, you're so sweet." She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm feeling better now. I haven't thrown up yet today," she said cheerily.

"That's good." He was relieved that she was back to normal, but at the same time was now prepared for it if she wasn't touchy-feely again.

"I bought my dress," Sara said secretively.

"Really? Can I see it?" he asked, not realizing how stupid his question was. He was too excited.

"Of course not, Nick. It's a secret until the wedding," she answered.

"Oh, right." He sounded disappointed.

Michele piped up, "But she's a vision in it."

Nick was pleased. "I get to see it in less than a week anyway, right?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, you do," she said, kissing him.

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In their bedroom, Nick and Sara were sitting on opposite corners of the bed, talking.

"We're going to have the wedding in the backyard, right?" Nick asked.

"That's what I wanted," Sara answered.

"Good," he said, leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead. "That's what I wanted too."

"Who are you inviting from your family?" Sara asked.

"Well, I know you don't want a big wedding, so I wanted to talk to you about that."

"Actually, the idea of a big wedding is growing on me," Sara admitted. Nick raised an eyebrow. She continued, "I love being around your family, and…well, I want them all there."

The grin that spread across his face rivalled the one when she'd accepted his marriage proposal.

"Which brings me to the next thing I wanted to say." Before she could lose courage, she just said it. "I don't want this to be our only child. I want to have a big family, too."

He looked a bit unsure, and he wanted to make sure she was talking about what he thought she was talking about.

"What would you think of four, five, even six kids?" she asked, a bit embarrassed.

If he'd smiled any wider, Sara was quite sure his face would have split.

"There is nothing I'd like more than to father your children," he said with a smile. The old Sara would have thought that was an incredibly sexist thing to say, but the way Nick said it, there was nothing sexist about it. Now he kissed her on the nose.

"And there's nothing I'd like more than to be your children's mother," she replied. He leaned forward one last time to kiss her on the lips. She eagerly accepted.

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Two Days Before the Wedding 

"Have you done everything you have to do?" Bill asked Nick. They were alone.

"Yeah. I invited Warrick to be my best man, he's coming down, we've got the minister, the photographer, the caterer, the florist, the limousine driver, all the invitations are sent out, the weather is supposed to be good, and I bought my tux. I think that's everything."

"Sounds like it. Are Sara's parents coming down to give her away?" Bill asked.

Nick bit his lip, unsure how to respond. "Sara's father died a while ago, and her mother isn't able to make it."

"Why can't she make it?" Bill asked gruffly. He didn't think it was at all appropriate not to go to your daughter's wedding.

"She's…been detained indefinitely," Nick answered carefully.

Bill shrugged. "Any other family coming down?"

"Sara's an only child and she lost touch with her cousins years ago."

Bill couldn't imagine how you couldn't stay in touch with your family. Nick felt bad about lying to him, but it wasn't his story to tell.

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Sara was talking on the phone with Catherine.

"_So, you're getting married in two days!_" Catherine squealed.

"Ugh. Don't remind me," Sara groaned.

"_You're not happy?_" Catherine asked, concerned.

"Oh, I'm ecstatic," Sara replied honestly. "I'm just scared and really tired."

"_Don't worry, it'll turn out great!_" she reassured.

"There's something else I wanted to ask you," Sara said.

"_Shoot_," Catherine said.

"I know it's kind of short notice, but will you come down and be my maid of honour?"

"_I'd love to! Just let me talk to Grissom, I'm sure he'll be okay with that_," Catherine said. "_I'll call you back in a few minutes_."

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Catherine walked into Grissom's office. "Sara just asked me to be her maid of honour!"

"That's great!" Grissom said.

"So, I need some time off. Just three days should be okay, but I'll probably need to leave tomorrow for a dress fitting."

"That's no problem. I'll just pull someone from Days or Swing," Grissom assured.

Catherine walked back to the locker room and whipped out her cell phone, calling Sara's number.

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Sara heard her phone ring again, and she answered it. "Hello?"

"_He says it's okay!_"

Sara was relieved. "Okay, well, I need your measurements so the tailor can start on a prototype."

"_I figured you would. Let me grab my tape measure._"

Sara chuckled. She was probably serious. Catherine actually kept a tape measure in her locker. She heard clattering coming from the other end. "Are you okay?"

"_Yeah, it's just…a little…difficult only using one hand. Oh, wait, Warrick's here. I'll get him to help me_."

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She gestured towards Warrick to come over and help her. He took the tape measure in his hands. "Help me," she whispered.

He shrugged and took the ends. "Where do you want me to measure?" He was kind of oblivious. He opened his eyes wide when she motioned around her chest, but complied. He read the measurement out loud and Catherine repeated it to Sara.

"Now waist," she whispered to Warrick. He repeated his action.

"Now my butt," she directed. He moved in apprehensively, but was a little too high. "Little lower…that's right." He read her the last measurement.

"How tall am I, you said? I don't know. Up to my armpit?" She motioned to Warrick to take one more measurement, and he obeyed, running his hand up her side to extend the tape measure. She shivered. He leaned in dangerously close to her face as he wanted to say the measurement into the phone to Sara himself.

"Yeah, so…that's it," Catherine said. Warrick still hadn't withdrawn his face, and now they were engaged in a pretty intense eyelock. "I'll be down tomorrow…see you then…yeah, you too. Give my love to Nick. Bye." She snapped the phone shut, meeting his gaze the whole while.

They were just inches away from each other. Catherine quirked an eyebrow, daring him. He leaned in slowly and their lips brushed ever so lightly. She kissed him again, a little more firmly this time, and he reciprocated. She slid her arms around his neck and he around her waist.

They didn't hear the door open until it was too late.

Greg stood there, gaping. "Herre Gud," he said, using the Norwegian expression.

"Close your mouth, Greg. It's not attractive," Catherine said, cheeks turning red.

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Author's Note: Next chapter, the wedding! Finalement! There will be an even bigger incentive for me to put it up today if I get a lot of reviews!


	22. The Wedding

Author's Note: Words cannot express how much I appreciate the support I'm getting. Special thanks to all those who submit ongoing reviews, it means the world to me. Thanks also to those who checked out my first oneshot, even if you didn't review.

In Nick's wedding vows, the italics are the minister, and regular font is Nick.

So, I decided to tell you all what they say at the end of 'The Sounds of Silence', for those of you who are curious. Grissom says his mother lost her hearing when she was eight. Grissom, who loved swimming, once asked her what it was like to be Deaf, and she told him it was like being underwater. Grissom says that his mother taught him that being Deaf does not make one inferior to others, and that being Deaf can be a blessing, to which Dr. Gilbert replies that she teaches her students the same lesson. After that, the camera gets too far away for me to see.

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: Guh. I hate Donald Trump. Actually, I love to hate him. Selfish idiot/jerk. We definitely wouldn't have a poverty problem if we all just (hippie time) learned to share the wealth, baby. I have no idea how much it would weigh, but just imagine it weighs too much for a pregnant woman to lift!

To **MollyMKS**: Funny that it reminded you of your friend. Hmmm…scarring Greg for life. Now _there's_ an idea…Thanks for reviewing!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: If we seriously need to go through this, we're in trouble. I wrote the more personal wedding vows, but the formal one and Nick's "formal" one I borrowed from about dot com.

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**Friday: One More Day**

Catherine and Warrick had flown down together. Nick and Sara borrowed Michele's car and went to go pick them up at the airport, and it was immediately clear to both of them that something was different between the two. They were friendlier towards each other. When they got to the Stokes' ranch, Nick took Warrick to his room and Sara took Catherine to hers.

"You _have_ to show me your wedding dress!" Catherine exclaimed.

"I can't," Sara replied. "It's too heavy for me to lift by myself."

"Well, then, let's go to your room and get it," Catherine suggested.

A bit embarrassed, Sara replied, "I don't know where it is. Michele hid it so I wouldn't be overcome with an urge to show Nick before the wedding. She said it was tradition in their family to hide the dress, so I figured, okay. According to Michele, hers was missing for three months."

Catherine was dying to see the dress. "Argh! This is _killing_ me!"

Sara laughed. "I can tell. _But_, I do know where _your_ dress is. We have to go to the tailor's to see it, because you have to try it on."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The pair walked down the staircase and Sara borrowed the keys to Michele's Mustang.

At the tailor's, Catherine was wearing her dress and admiring herself from all angles. Miraculously, it fit perfectly. Apparently, Warrick was good at measuring as well as kissing. The dress was strapless and black, which gave her a fair appearance and set off her hair beautifully. Her shoes were also black, but nowhere near as strappy as Sara's. She looked great in it, and they both knew it.

Meanwhile, Nick and Warrick were at another tailor's, and Warrick was trying on his suit. It, like Nick's, was black with an ivory waistcoat and shirt and a black bowtie. Nick's was made of a nicer material, though, and had longer tails than Warrick's. Warrick didn't look as good in black as Catherine did, but it did set off his green eyes quite nicely.

Sara had slowly met all of Nick's family, including his cousins, and, needless to say, it was daunting. Almost everybody had red hair, and the amount of twins didn't help at all. Still, she was sure she knew about half of them, and was confident that they'd understand if she couldn't remember.

Now all they had left to do was call the caterer and make sure everything that needed to happen was happening and make sure that there would be a minister there to marry them tomorrow.

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**Wedding Day**

Sara and Nick had slept in separate rooms that night, so they didn't see each other on the day of their wedding, as was custom.

Sara woke up feeling sick. She wasn't sure if it was anticipation of the wedding or morning sickness, but all she knew was that she needed to throw up. She raced to the bathroom and threw up, but all she wanted was Nick to be there with her, rubbing her back and soothing her like he always was. She realized they weren't supposed to see each other, and was disappointed.

The bathroom was in between Nick's and Sara's bedrooms, and Nick could hear her throwing up. He wanted nothing more than to go in and comfort her like he always had, but he knew they weren't supposed to see each other. Thank God their wedding was in the morning so he could be with her longer.

Michele, who'd been sleeping at the Stokes' ranch instead of her house for the last few days, also heard her throwing up and knocked softly on the bathroom door.

"Who is it?" she heard a weak voice answer.

"It's Michele. Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

She opened the door and came in quietly, shutting the door behind her. Sara was grateful that she cared, but honestly, she just wanted Nick right now.

Michele asked gently, "Morning sickness or cold feet?"

Sara sighed. "I don't know. I really wish Nick was here," she admitted.

"I know you do. Just think, in three more hours, you'll be Sara Stokes, and you'll have him all to yourself."

The thought was comforting to Sara.

Michele said, "I'm going to go get your dress. I'll meet you in your room when you're ready, okay?"

Sara nodded. A minute later, she stood up and went to meet Michele in her room.

Michele, as promised, had gone to get the dress, but the smell made Sara want to throw up all over again. "Ugh! Where was that?"

Michele grinned. "The barn. Where else?"

"It smells horrible!"

"Don't worry, the smell is only on the bag, not on the dress. Mine was hidden in the barn too, and so was Stephanie's and Silo's."

That reminded Sara. "Why do you all call her Silo?"

Michele grinned mischievously. "She'd kill me if I told you this, but I'm going to tell you anyway. When she was four, she managed somehow to get into to silo out back while we were playing hide-and-seek. We searched and searched and searched for her, but we couldn't find her. Nobody even bothered to check the silo because it was always locked, so we all figured there was no way she'd be in there. Well, we started to get worried. Now, you can't really hear anything out there, so naturally, she didn't hear us yelling, 'Ollie Ollie oxen-free'. We yelled it over and over and over, but she never came out. My dad was about to call the police, we were so worried. Just then, in she walks, and says she fell asleep in the silo. We still don't know how she got in or out. Anyway, ever since then, she's had a knack for disappearing, and every time she did, we would always say to check the silo. The name just stuck, I guess."

Sara laughed. "And why is Nick called Poncho?"

Michele bit her lip, contemplating. Slowly, she said, "Now that, he'll have to tell you."

Sara pouted. There was no way he was going to tell her, and she knew it. She decided not to press the matter, and became content to have Michele help her into her dress. She still needed to get her hair done, and Nick's sister Flora was coming over to do it any minute.

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Warrick and Bill stood in Nick's room, trying to pump him up for the huge plunge he was about to take. Little did they know that he was already as pumped up as he was ever going to be. Today he got to marry the girl of his dreams, and there was no way anybody had ever been more excited than he was. Finally, he stopped them.

"Look, Warrick, Cisco, this isn't doing anything for me. I could never be more ecstatic than I already am," he said, smiling.

"Okay, then," Bill said, backing off. "If that's what you say."

Nick and Sara didn't know it, but they each wanted to see each other more than they ever had. Sara was giddy; she couldn't wait to finally marry the man of her dreams, as cheesy as it may sound. Nick felt the same way. He was in love with the most amazing woman on Earth, and what made it even better was that she loved him back.

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Finally, it was time for the wedding. Nick stood at the altar, fidgeting as he had when he'd proposed, but this time he'd been smart enough to leave out the cufflinks. Warrick and Catherine walked up the aisle together, arms linked, and separated into each side.

Nick was ready to bolt down the aisle and go find Sara; he wanted to see her so badly. Thankfully, just then, the flower girl, Nick's niece Lisa, who was six, rounded the hedges. For a six-year-old, the walk up the aisle was relatively uneventful. She'd only become distracted by somebody twice and lifted up her skirt once. Nick felt he couldn't contain himself any longer, and not a moment too soon, the traditional song "Here Comes the Bride" came on and everybody stood up for Sara.

Nick saw everything in torturously slow motion, but she finally rounded the hedges that had blocked his view, and he quickly decided that she was simply drop-dead gorgeous in her dress. It hugged her in all the right places, gave her a tan appearance, and the gloves simply made it that much more elegant. She held a relatively small bouquet in her hands, made up of only ivory roses to match her dress. Catherine beamed. It was an absolutely gorgeous dress; there was no doubt about it. It looked as though it had been designed with Sara in mind; it was so perfect for her.

Sara approached the altar and faced Nick. He mouthed, "I love you," and she mouthed back, "I love you too."

The minister began, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of this woman and this man in the act of matrimony…"

He continued on, and soon it was time for the wedding vows. They turned to each other and took each other's hands. Nick went first.

"Sara, from the day I met you, throwing dummies off a hotel roof, I wanted to be your husband. Even though I wrecked my favourite shirt that day with stupid Meyer's roof dust, it was the best day of my life. Did you know that I still have that shirt? I can't wear it in public, but I like to take it out every now and then to remember the day we met. I've ruined three shirts the same way since then, and they all ended up in the trash. That shirt is special to me. I love you so much, and I can't wait until this wedding is over so I can get on with being your husband." Everybody, including Sara, laughed. He continued. "I promise that I'll always bring you a double Americano when you're sad, I'll always be an ear when you need one, I'll always be there to celebrate with you in your successes, and I'll always be there for you when you fail. Sara Sidle, I love you with all of my heart and then some, and today, I'm telling the whole world. Or at least half of Dallas," he joked, nodding his head towards the sea of Stokes and smiling at her.

Sara thought she was going to laugh and cry all at the same time, but she restrained herself from crying, although she gave into the laugh. Nick understood, though. He was close enough to her to see her eyes well up.

Choking on her words at first, and then regaining her composure, Sara began her vows. "I love you, Nicholas Stokes. If there's nothing else I have learned from you, it's how to love again. But we both know that that's not all I've learned from you, because now I can successfully flip a pancake without a spatula." He laughed. They were the only ones who got the joke. "I've learned that belting out country music that you don't know any of the words to makes for great comic relief. I've learned that there's nothing better than finding somebody you want to spend the rest of your life with, and that person is you. I promise to always take care of you when you are sick, always be the one person who will smile at you every day no matter what, to love you forever, no matter how many times you leave the toilet seat up or adjust the thermostat when you really could just put on a sweater." Everybody laughed. "Today, I get to marry my best friend and my one true love. I am officially the luckiest woman in the world." She decided to add one last impromptu line after hearing Nick's vows. "And I really can't wait for this wedding to be over, because these are the most uncomfortable shoes I've ever worn."

Nick smiled at her, knowing full well that that wasn't the only reason she wanted the wedding to be over. She wanted to get on with being his wife just as much as he wanted to get on with being her husband.

They'd both agreed that Nick's personal vows would come first, then Sara's, and then they'd go right into Sara's "official" vows, and Nick would do his second. Thomas, another of Nick's many nephews, came up holding the pillow with the rings on it. Sara picked up Nick's.

"I, Sara, take you Nicholas, to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live." She slid the ring onto his finger and looked deep into his eyes, conveying that she loved him more than anything.

Nick now had a surprise for Sara. She'd told him once that her favourite author of all time was Dr. Seuss, and so he'd written some vows that he knew she'd love and hate all at the same time.

"_Will you answer me right now,  
__These questions, as your wedding vow?_"  
"Yes, I will answer right now  
Your questions as my wedding vow."

Sara rolled her eyes, and yet loved that Nick had remembered how much she loved Dr. Seuss. It was such a silly yet charming thing that was so typical of Nick.

"_Will you take her as your wife?  
__Will you love her all your life?_"  
"Yes, I take her as my wife,  
Yes, I'll love her all my life."

"_Will you have, and also hold,  
__Just as you have at this time told?_"  
"Yes, I will have, and I will hold,  
Just as I have at this time told,  
Yes, I will love her all my life,  
As I now take her as my wife."

"_Will you love her through good and bad?  
__Whether you're happy or sad?_"  
"Yes, I'll love through good and bad,  
Whether we're happy or sad,  
Yes, I will have and I will hold,  
Just as I have already told,  
Yes, I will love her all my life,  
Yes, I will take her as my wife!"

"_Will you love her if you're rich?  
__Or if you're poor, and in a ditch?_"  
"Yes, I'll love her if we're rich,  
And I will love her in a ditch,  
I'll love her through good times and bad,  
Whether we are happy or sad,  
Yes, I will have, and I will hold  
(I could have sworn this has been told!)  
I promise to love all my life  
This woman, as my lawful wife!"

Sara's grin was getting wider by the stanza.

"_Will you love her when you're fit,  
__And also when you're feeling sick?_"  
"Yes, I'll love her when we're fit,  
And when we're hurt, and when we're sick,  
And I will love her when we're rich  
And I will love her in a ditch  
And I will love through good and bad,  
And I will love when glad or sad,  
And I will have, and I will hold  
Ten years from now a thousandfold,  
Yes, I will love for my whole life  
This lovely woman as my wife!"

"_Will you love with all your heart?  
Will you love till death you part?_"  
"Yes, I'll love with all my heart  
From now until death do us part,  
And I will love her when we're rich,  
And when we're broke and in a ditch,  
And when we're fit, and when we're sick,  
(Oh, _can't_ we get this finished quick?)  
And I will love through good and bad,  
And I will love when glad or sad,  
And I will have, and I will hold,  
And if I might now be so bold,  
I'll love her my entire life,  
Yes, I _will_ take her as my wife!

"_Then if you'll take her as your wife,  
And if you'll love her all your life,  
And if you'll have, and if you'll hold,  
From now until the stars grow cold,  
And if you'll love through good and bad,  
And whether you're happy or sad,  
And love in sickness, and in health,  
And when you're poor, and when in wealth,  
And if you'll love with all your heart,  
From now until death do you part,  
Yes, if you'll love her through and through,  
Answer with those specialwords._"

"I do!"

"_You're married now! So kiss the bride,  
__But please, do keep it dignified._"

Nick, grinning his trademark heart-stopping grin at his new wife, pulled her into a passionate embrace. She gladly complied and they shared their first kiss as a married couple.

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Author's Note: Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to write the wedding vows? It didn't help at all that I was listening to _Another One Bites The Dust_ by Queen the whole while. (Great song, by the way) Anyway, let me know how I did in a review! The reception is next chapter. Maybe. Depends on my mood.


	23. The Reception

Author's Note: The mood possessed me. Here is the reception. After the response I got from last chapter, I've taken to listening to _Another One Bites the Dust_ every time I write. It seems to be working out, except now I'm officially addicted to it. I officially blame it on **bauerfreak**, because after I read "CSI Rhapsody", I couldn't get enough Queen and now I have three songs simultaneously stuck in my head. Which leaves very little room for plot bunnies.

Another quite Grissom-esque thing here. Queen Victoria is credited as starting the wedding dress thing, but the colour white is attributed to the Japanese. White didn't at that time signify virginity, it was actually the colour of mourning as the family mourned the loss of their daughter.

This wedding reception is slightly out of order, so bear with me here. There is a method to my madness. I think.

I can't believe the response I got from last chapter. I'm sure some of you know how gratifying it is to open up your email and see so many new messages, but for those of you who don't, it's amazing. Thanks, as always, a million George Eadses to everybody who read, and thanks a billion George Eadses to everybody who reviewed.

To **Alex**: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying reading it as much as I am writing it.

To **Allie**: Yeah, FanFiction can be stupid that way sometimes. For like two days, I couldn't upload my new documents, and it was killing me because I hadn't been on FanFiction for like five days before that. I have another oneshot in the works, but I'm a bit stuck on it. Mmm…Nick's smile…-sigh-. That's hot. Thanks for reviewing!

To **MollyMKS**: Haha, wedding equals execution. Nice. Thanks for reviewing, glad you're still enjoying.

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, MrsEads would be my real name and not just my penname. Don't own any of the songs mentioned here either.

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"**A wedding! I love weddings! Drinks all around!" Jack Sparrow, _Pirates of the Caribbean_**

"Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Stokes!" somebody called out, but nobody really knew whom.

Sara and Nick, arm in arm, rounded into the tent where the reception was being held. As soon as they came in, everybody erupted into cheers. _That's me_, Sara thought happily. _Sara Stokes_. The thought alone could have qualified her for one of the spots as the top ten happiest women in the world. The fact that the most handsome, charming, and caring man in the world was her husband, well, that could have sent her to heaven right there. For several minutes, Sara was afraid to blink just in case she woke up from a beautiful dream. Miraculously, she hadn't thrown up all day except for once in the morning, which made the day all the better.

Catherine led them over to the cake eagerly. The cake, like Sara's dress and flowers, was ivory, and it had three tiers. Nick picked up the knife and Sara covered his hand with hers as they made the first cut. Nick picked up a piece and so did Sara, and as they reached to each other to feed the slice, Nick smushed it into her face. She laughed, and retaliated by doing the same to him. Sara had never wanted her future husband to do that, she thought it was immature and ruined how you looked for the rest of the most special day of you life. Now that Nick did it, though, she wouldn't have it any other way.

Everybody spent the next while eating cake, talking, and laughing, until the band started playing their wedding song. They'd decided to truly live out the Vegas reputation and had chosen the song _I Can't Help Falling In Love With You_, by Elvis Presley. Of course, Nick and Sara were the first on the floor, soon followed by Bill and Jillian, and gradually other couples started joining them, including Warrick and Catherine.

_**Wise men say  
Only fools rush in  
But I can't help  
Falling in love with you**_

_**Shall I stay  
Would it be a sin?**_

_**If I can't help  
Falling in love with you**_

_**Like a river flows  
Surely to the sea  
Darling so it goes  
Some things are meant to be**_

_**Take my hand  
Take my whole life too  
For I can't help  
Falling in love with you**_

_**Like a river flows  
Surely to the sea  
Darling so it goes  
Some things are meant to be**_

_**Take my hand  
Take my whole life too  
For I can't help  
Falling in love with you**_

_**For I can't help**_

_**Falling in love with you**_

Sara's head was resting on Nick's shoulder, and his cheek on the top of her head. He kept kissing the crown of her head and whispering, "I love you, Mrs. Stokes," to which she would sigh contentedly, sometimes leaning up to kiss him.

"I love you, Mr. Stokes," she'd say every so often.

As their wedding song ended, Ben E. King's signature song _Stand By Me_ came on.

**_When the night has come  
And the land is dark  
And the moon is the only light we'll see  
No I won't be afraid, No I won't be afraid  
Just as long as you stand, stand by me  
_**

_**And darling, darling,  
Stand by me, oh, stand by me  
Oh, stand, stand by me,  
Stand by me **_

If the sky that we look upon  
Should tumble and fall  
Or the mountains should crumble to the sea  
I won't cry, I won't cry  
No, I won't shed a tear  
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

_**And darling, darling,  
Stand by me, oh, stand by me  
Oh, stand, stand by me,  
Stand by me  
**_

_**And darling, darling,  
Stand by me, oh, stand by me  
Oh, stand, stand by me,  
Stand by me  
**_

_**When all your friends are gone  
And you're left all alone  
Oh, stand, stand by me, stand by me **_

Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me  
Oh, stand by me, oh won't you stand now, stand by me

A myriad of other songs were played, including _You and Me_ by Life House, _I'll Be_ by Edwin McCain, and Sara's absolute favourite operatic song, _Nella Fantasia_ by Sarah Brightman, and eventually lunch was served.

There was a choice of cheese and spinach manicotti, stuffed zucchini with Moroccan couscous, pasta primavera with tomato cream sauce, and vegetarian lasagna in creamy cheese sauce. Nick wanted his wife's day to be perfect, and for that reason he'd only had a vegetarian menu. The smell of meat sometimes made her sick, anyway. The last thing anybody wanted was for Sara to throw up on her wedding day.

There was a bar at which guests could receive one glass of free champagne, and could also buy more drinks out of their own pocket if they wanted to. For Sara, Stephanie, and all the minors, there was sparkling apple cider. Nick didn't want Sara to feel left out at all, so he didn't have any wine.

As the meal was winding down, Nick tapped his knife on his glass and stood up to make a speech. "Firstly, I'd like to thank everybody who came here today to show their support. Having a family as big as ours and yet as close is a truly rare and wonderful combination, and I'd like to thank you all for that. I'd like to thank Mom and Cisco, for raising me right. I'll never forget what I learned from you. Thanks for accepting Sara so quickly into our ever-growing family, and for loving her as much as I know you do. Thanks to all my siblings, you always watched out for me, and I appreciate it. Honestly, knowing that now I have to watch out for someone else, well, it scares me to death. I know that you'll all always be there for me. Thank you to all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. We've certainly made some memories over the years, and thank you in advance for sticking around while we make some new ones. But thank you mostly to my beloved wife Sara, for giving this old cowboy a chance." Nick raised his glass. "To family."

In unison, everybody raised their glasses. "To family." He sat down, slightly red in the face, and Sara leaned over and gave him a long, chaste kiss. Everybody cheered enough to make them both embarrassed.

Sara decided to stand up and give her own speech. "I'd like to say something, if I may. I have been overwhelmed by how quickly you've all accepted me, and I'd like to thank you for that. Michele, I'd especially like to thank you. These last couple days, you've been the sister I never had to me, except now, I guess we sort of are sisters. Bill and Jillian, thanks so much for accepting me, especially so soon and with such short notice. For the first time in a long time, I truly feel like part of a family. And lastly, I want to thank Nick. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I look forward to spending every day for the rest of my life with you." She raised her glass. "To my husband."

Again, glasses were raised and drinks were taken. More kissing, more cheering.

Bill now took his turn. "Well, Poncho, it looks like you did okay for yourself. I know we were all worried that you'd never find anyone, and I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we're sorry for all the blind dates and set-ups. Make sure you hang on to this lovely lady. I wish you all the best in your new married life. To Nick and Sara."

Another toast.

It didn't appear as though anybody else was going to make a speech, so the DJ was just about to turn on the music when Warrick stood up and cleared his throat. "Nick, I just have one thing to say. _What took you so long?_" Nick and Sara both laughed. "I'm really happy for you both, and I know that you guys will be great for each other. In fact, you already are. I wish you both happiness and bliss in you new life together. To delayed gratification."

It was the last toast of the evening, and then the music started again, everybody dancing until after the sun went down.

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Author's Note: Next chapter, right after the reception. Remember the three Rs: If you **_R_**ead and **_R_**eview, I'll always **_R_**eply!


	24. The Evening

Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to update. Wait, that sounded really conceited. It makes it sound like I expect all of you to be like me, caffeine-crazed anti-socialites with no lives who sit up in front of your laptop, waiting and waiting and waiting, not sleeping or eating until the next chapter is up. With that said, thanks for sticking with me. I also apologize in advance: this chapter is going to be painfully short. But rest assured, I have the next few chapters penned out and ready to go once they're typed, so hopefully there will be a flurry of updates soon.

To **Blondie**: Glad to hear it. Thanks for reviewing.

To **Your Spell-"Bindind" Lover**: Let's hope your name was just a typo. Of course there's going to be a honeymoon! Plus _The Da Vinci Code_ kicks butt. But not as much butt as CSI.

To **Allie**: I don't know where the ideas come from. Maybe it's because George is so inspiring…Thanks for your ongoing reviews!

To **MollyMKS**: Jack Sparrow is my hero. Well, my second hero. George is my first hero. I'm glad you liked Sara's thoughts, and thanks, as always, for reviewing!

To **jd**: Why is it that I keep making people cry? Well, it's not on purpose, but in an upcoming chapter, it will be. (I am saying no more until then…) I really am pleased with how Nick's family turned out. You might think that is strange, since I am technically in control of how they turn out, but as I have said before, and I'm sure many of you other writers reading this know can happen, it's really writing itself right now. Which I am very thankful for. Thanks for reviewing!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I should hope that we don't have to go through this at this point…

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Nick looked at his new wife lovingly, watching her smile, flick the fork around as she spoke, and mingle effortlessly with people she'd only met once or twice. He loved her smile. It was so genuine, so pure. All he wanted to do was plant a kiss right on her lovable gap-toothed grin. He then smiled inwardly as he realized that it was their wedding and he could do whatever he wanted to do. He stopped her mid-sentence, taking her chin in his hand, and leaned in for a gentle kiss, to which she gladly complied. They pulled apart and gazed at each other until Catherine, who was sitting with them, cleared her throat and said, "You were saying?"

Sara was jolted from her gaze, and she stammered, "Uh, yeah. We were planning on going to the Caribbean for our honeymoon. We're going on a cruise. Well, I guess we're not planning anymore. It's final; we're leaving tomorrow."

"How long will you be gone?" Warrick asked.

"Two weeks," Nick answered for Sara. Catherine thought it was cute that they were already speaking for one another.

"Planning on having a little fun?" Catherine asked deviously.

Sara nearly spit out the sip of sparkling apple cider she was taking. Her face turned red. Nick just grinned that same lovable smile that he'd had on his face right after the alien priest had asked them if they were married, which was answer enough for Catherine.

"I hope you have a good time," she said.

"Oh, I'm sure we will," Nick said, winking at Catherine and squeezing Sara's hand. She wanted the ground to swallow her up right then and there.

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The wedding was finally over. Not that it hadn't been amazing, but it was a ton of work. Sara and Nick had been on their feet most of the day, and they were ready to collapse into bed. They were the last two left outside, except for the catering crew, who were cleaning up.

The newlyweds decided it was time to go in, since it was starting to get chilly outside. They walked slowly to the house, fingers intertwined. Just as they were about to enter, Sara stopped.

Nick, thinking something was wrong, stopped and looked at her worriedly. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, it's just that I remembered that you're supposed to carry me over the threshold."

He smiled. "There is nothing I'd like more than to carry my wife over the threshold." He put one arm underneath her arms and swept her up with the other. She giggled, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"Oof!" He was surprised at how heavy she was.

"Gee, thanks," Sara said sarcastically.

"No, it's just the dress is really heavy," he explained as he made the way to the bedroom.

"Well, it does weigh over twenty-five pounds," she told him, just as they reached the bedroom. She kicked the door closed behind them.

"I suppose that there's no other solution but to get you out of it," he reasoned as he laid her down on the bed.

"I suppose so," she said, and pulled him on top of her in a fiery kiss.

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Author's Note: Like I said, painfully short. But I apologize and am about to start typing up the next chapter right away. I may post it sooner if I get a review or two…or three…we could even aim for five, eh? By the way, what does "TPTB" or "TBTP" (I don't remember which one) mean?


	25. The Cruise

Author's Note: Praise the Lord! The plot bunnies came back from vacation this morning! Thanks to everybody for sticking around and being so patient.

I know that last chapter was painfully short, but it didn't really fit in with this chapter, so, think of it as an in-between chapter.

To **Alex**: Thank you kindly for reviewing.

To **Allie**: Yeah, it made sense. Once I read it like five times. Thanks for reviewing, you know I appreciate all reviews.

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: No, sparkling apple cider doesn't have alcohol. It just…sparkles. Yeah. Yay! Cruise, cruise, cruise! Thanks for reviewing!

To **jd**: Happiness is on the way, but soon to be followed by sadness, I'm sorry to say. Thanks for the review.

To **MollyMKS**: Oh yes, heavy dresses. Thanks for reviewing.

To **MeganT**: Thanks a lot (for the meaning and for reviewing).

To **Alycia**: Did I reply to this using your email address? I don't remember. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

This chapter dedicated to **GURL-from-MARZ**, who I officially think may very well be the single person most obsessed with this story. Dragging your boyfriend out of a movie theatre to go read my last chapter? Now _that's_ dedicated.

A special note to **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: Pay attention…your favourite game appears!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I, MrsEads, hereby relinquish all rights of and pertaining to the ownership of _CSI: Crime Scene Investigation_, _Kokomo_, the Beach Boys and all affiliates. I claim ownership only to original characters, and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental, unless I happen to have named one after you, in which case it is entirely intentional. No animals and/or brothers were harmed in the production of this chapter.

* * *

Sara awoke to gentle kisses peppering her arm. She rolled over to face her husband and smiled when she saw his face.

"Mornin', beautiful," he said, as had become custom.

She responded by kissing him. He gladly accepted. "Today we get to go to the Caribbean!" she said, squirming excitedly.

"Together," he added.

"Together," she repeated. She liked the sound of that.

They kissed for a little while longer before getting up.

In the kitchen, Catherine was already sitting at the table, reading a newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. She heard the couple enter and said in a singsong voice, "Someone's happy…"

Sara and Nick both turned red.

"What?" Catherine said, shrugging. "I haven't gotten any action in a long time. I have to live vicariously through you," she said matter-of-factly. It was then that Sara noticed that the collar of Catherine's housecoat was suspiciously high.

She walked boldly over to her and pulled down the collar before Catherine could react, revealing a rather large red hickey.

It was at that moment that Warrick decided to walk into the kitchen, and when he saw what Sara had discovered, he felt his cheeks grow hot. He tried to keep his cool, but blew it when he stammered as he said, "Good morning, everybody."

"Good morning, Warrick," Sara said as though she knew something.

"Sara. Nick," he said, making his best attempt at being nonchalant.

"Did you sleep well?" Nick asked, smiling.

"Oh, fantastic," Warrick replied.

Finally, Sara couldn't keep it in any longer. She burst out laughing. "Come on, you guys, we know you were together last night, and you know that we know. You can stop pretending now."

"Well then." Warrick walked over to Catherine and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled.

Sara gaped. That had been _way_ too easy. She felt how she guessed Ecklie must have felt right after he'd busted her and Nick on their engagement. She was a bit disappointed, and Nick felt the same way.

Sara and Nick made breakfast, and Sara showed off how she could flip French toast without using a spatula. Catherine was impressed, and asked if Sara could teach her how to do it. Sara refused.

Nick and Sara said that they'd better go make sure they had everything ready to go, and left Catherine and Warrick to mingle with each other in the kitchen.

* * *

"_Final boarding call for Flight 213 from Dallas, Texas, to Nassau, Bahamas_," came the announcement over the loudspeaker. Nick and Sara were already on the plane. This time, though, Sara wasn't the only one squirming excitedly.

Nick remembered something. "Oh! I almost forgot!" Reaching into his carryon, he pulled out a Discman and popped in a CD to which he deliberately didn't let Sara see the title. She put on the headphones and a very tropical melody filled her ears.

_**Aruba  
Jamaica  
Ooh, I wanna take you  
To Bermuda  
Bahama  
Come on, pretty mama  
Key Largo  
Montego  
Baby, why don't we go  
Down to Kokomo?**_

Sara smiled. "Hey, those are all the places we're going!" she exclaimed.

"Sure are. The cruise line actually organized this cruise based on the song."

"No way!" Sara said, gaping.

"Yep. Said so in the brochure."

"So, you're the one who organized all this, so let me see if I can get it straight. First, we land in Nassau and drive to the port. Then, we get on the ship and…sail around and all that, and then we finish up in Key Largo and take a plane back to Las Vegas?"

"Yeah. It's a two-week cruise. It didn't exactly come cheap, but we have a lot of time. We can go snorkelling, scuba diving, see ruins, dance on the ship, eat, drink…" he trailed off.

"Other stuff?" Sara supplied, raising her eyebrows and leaving no room for misinterpretation about what she meant.

He pulled her close to him and kissed her on the cheek. "That, Mrs. Stokes, goes without saying."

* * *

They landed in Nassau three hours later, and the humid heat of the city hit them full blast. They hailed a cab and drove to the port, where they would board the cruise ship, the _Spirit_. The _Spirit_ was scheduled to cast off in three hours, so Sara and Nick had a lot of time to spend exploring before they wanted to be up on deck and watch the ship sail off.

On the Sun Deck, there was a man playing a steel drum in front of a sparkling pool, children splashing each other inside. Nick laughed as he heard two old women, one wearing a purple bathing suit and a matching flowery bathing cap, and the other wearing the same thing in red, arguing. Just then, a man in a white shirt came up behind them and they got his attention. Nick assumed that he was the cruise director.

"Is that ocean water in the pool, there?" the woman in purple asked.

"Yes, it is. We pump it in, filter it, use it, clean it, and pump it back out again," the man in the white shirt answered.

Satisfied, the woman in purple turned to the woman in red. "See, Marge? That's why the water is so rocky," she said smugly.

Nick could hardly contain his laughter, but Sara hadn't heard what he had. She was busy looking through a pamphlet advertising all the things they could do in their various stops.

As the ship began to get underway, Nick and Sara traveled to the railing and waved goodbye at nobody in particular, happy that they would finally be alone for a while.

The schedule called for an assembly in the auditorium, during which the man in the white shirt they'd seen earlier introduced himself as Jeff and outlined the safety precautions and everyday proceedings of the ship, as well as the itinerary of location visits. The assembly ended with a Broadway style performance of _Kokomo_ by the Beach Boys, the inspiration for the cruise.

At dinner that evening, a man came up to them and introduced himself as their waiter. "My name is Charlie Brown, and I'll be your waiter for the duration of the trip. Is there anything I can get for you to drink? A glass of wine, perhaps?" he suggested.

"No thanks," Nick replied. "Do you have anything non-alcoholic?"

"Certainly. We have a large selection of sparkling drinks, all completely alcohol free," he said, directing them to the proper spot on the menu. Charlie seemed like a friendly guy to both Nick and Sara. Nick and Sara peered over the menu and made their selections. "Tonight, the special is jumbo prawns with a zesty marinara sauce," Charlie introduced to them.

They both decided to have the special, and they both thought it was heavenly. They were mingling with the other six people at their table, who had been assigned as their dining mates for the rest of the cruise. Bob and Charlotte, who were both in their late fifties, were from Florida, and had come on the cruise as a second honeymoon. Charlize, Jayden, Connor, and Amy were a young family from Delaware out on their family vacation. Connor was five, Amy was seven, and Charlize and Jayden were in their early thirties.

Sara loved their kids. She thought they were so precious and could hardly wait until she had her baby.

* * *

Their first stop was in the Bahamas. Nick and Sara went to a fish fry, drank tons of virgin Bahama Mamas, and went swimming in the dark at a lagoon, which quickly turned into skinny-dipping, which in turn became "other" events.

Back to the ship, and they went to their cabin. Even though it was small, it was gorgeous. They'd managed to get one with a window, so they could see the sea whenever they wanted. Not that they were really that interested in outside; they were far more interested in each other.

* * *

Their second stop was in Jamaica. Sara laughed when she heard how many people actually said "Mon". They went snorkelling twice and shopped at several different vendors. Nick bought Sara a shirt that had a smiley face on it with a Rastafarian hairdo that said, "Smile, mon!" underneath it. Sara bought Nick a pair of blue surf shorts with flames at the bottom. They were so uncharacteristic of him that she couldn't resist.

They went back to the ship after a few hours, and ate supper with their dinnermates, making small talk until they went back to their cabin and resumed the previous night's "activities".

* * *

Aruba was next on the schedule, but Nick and Sara didn't really see much of it. They meandered around for a few hours, but got bored quickly, since there wasn't much to see. They helped themselves to the self-serve ice cream machine and decided to hang around in the on-board casino for a while. They played a few games of blackjack and a few rounds of roulette, but they both knew what could happen if you weren't careful while gambling, so they cut it off there. Aruba was not all it was cracked up to be, but the Stokes had a good time while docked anyway.

* * *

Bermuda. Oh, Bermuda. The newlyweds went snorkelling again, and this time decided to try their hand at scuba diving too. Sara took to it very quickly, but Nick was…well, he sucked. He came up too fast and almost got the bends, but he was lucky. It was only because Sara pushed him down and kept him from coming too close to the surface that he didn't get the bends.

They decided to eat at a really fancy restaurant. They knew that it would be expensive, but they were not prepared for the bill. They'd both had asparagus, and apparently, it was fifteen dollars a spear! Nick's eyes bugged out a bit, but he quickly regained his composure and whipped out his wallet.

They reasoned that maybe they'd better stay on the ship to eat from now on.

* * *

Following the pattern of the song, it was time for Key Largo. Like Aruba, the Stokes quickly got bored and went back to the ship. They played in the arcade, surrounded by teenagers, and Sara kicked Nick's butt on just about every game. Surprisingly, one of the few games that Nick won was 'Dance Dance Revolution'. She'd quickly become uncoordinated, while he managed to maintain his dexterity throughout the entire round.

Neither of them was really sure whether to tell their coworkers that Nick won. On one hand, Sara would be embarrassed because she lost, but on the other hand, the joke would be on Nick for winning such a game and not beating her on any others.

* * *

Montego Bay, back in Jamaica again, was the final stop on the two-week cruise. Sara and Nick were a little sad to see that it was over, considering the fun they'd had, and the "fun" they'd had, but at the same time, were glad to go back to Vegas and start living together for real, have a real life together, have their baby. Or babies. It was still too early to tell whether there was just one or multiples. They were so excited, though, and one of the really great things was that the morning sickness was calming down. Sara'd only thrown up once or twice a day the whole time.

Sara and Nick went to one more fish fry, like they had in the Bahamas. It was a blast.

After the fish fry, Nick and Sara went back to their cabin to start packing. They could hardly wait for tomorrow.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, I know that chapter was a little…weird. But I promise, it'll get better. And I know the order of where they visited makes pretty much no sense. But whatever. I have temporarily rearranged the geography of the Caribbean for my purposes. The two ladies talking about the pool actually came from my own real-life experience. And I actually had a waiter named Charlie Brown when I went on a cruise to Mexico. Okay, pop quiz time! Where is Kokomo? Let me know in a review, and I might be tempted to post another chappie today! 


	26. The Crisis

Author's Note: Thanks a ton to everybody who's reviewed. You have no idea how much it means that there are now officially over TWO HUNDRED reviews! It made me so happy when I saw that. Thank you SO much. It means a lot to me to know that even though I took forever to update, you guys are still with me. I feel like this story is getting a bit boring, so it's time to run out the big guns. I know you'll hate me for what I'm going to do within the next few chapters, but _please please PLEASE_ stick around just a bit longer. I have good reason, and I _think_ there is a method to my madness. I promise fluff will return soon! I promise I promise I promise!

This chapter is dedicated to **bauerfreak**, just because it's your birthday. Actually, I don't think it's your birthday, because I think tomorrow is your birthday, but I doubt I'll have another chapter up for your birthday, since your birthday comes too soon after this birthday present chapter which is a present for your birthday, which is tomorrow. Don't you love how many times I said "birthday" in one sentence? That's pro, that is. Anyway, I'm sorry that this chapter will be kind of depressing, but it's still your present. Don't hate me!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I'd write one in Chinese here, but it'd show up completely as boxes.

* * *

Nick and Sara had been back in Vegas for a week and a half. Sara had been experiencing severe stomach cramps lately, so she made an appointment to see Dr. Holmes again.

"When's your appointment?" Nick asked.

"It's on Saturday at 9:30," she answered. "Want to come?"

"Yeah, sure," he replied, "if I'm not working." He'd gotten over how awkward it was last time, and for some reason, being married had almost instantly changed all that. It was different now.

By now, just about the entire lab knew that Sara was pregnant, since they'd decided together to tell everybody. Mia had been really excited for her, and had been bombarding her with questions about names and nursery colours and stuff like that. Greg actually had to sit down when he heard the news, and Warrick had just done the typical guy thing, a short "congratulations" and waggled his eyebrows a few times at Nick.

Catherine and Mia were already planning a baby shower, even though Sara was only a month and a half or so into her pregnancy. She enjoyed watching them discuss everything so eagerly; they were like kids in a candy store.

Everybody else walked into the break room within the next few minutes and plopped down on the couches and in the chairs. Greg, as usual, managed to smuggle in some Blue Hawaiian from his secret stash without anyone finding out where it came from.

Sara pouted. "Go figure. The one time you decide to break out the good stuff, I can't have any."

"What do you mean?" Greg asked, somewhat oblivious.

She rolled her eyes. "Caffeine, Greg. I can't have any." She put one hand over her stomach.

"Oh, right." He looked a bit disappointed. Truth be told, he'd gotten it out specially for her. He'd always held on to that shred of hope that maybe there was a chance of something between them. Of course, the whole marrying Nick thing and carrying his child kind of made Greg think that maybe there wasn't too much hope after all, but he figured, he could always dream, right?

"Just for doing that, Sanders, when I have this baby, you're bringing me a steaming cup of your coffee every day for a month," Sara said, raising an eyebrow as she had a commanding tone in her voice.

Greg decided that now might be a good time to be chivalrous, in a sense. "Well, if you can't have any, then I won't have any either."

She sighed. "Come on, Greg, you don't have to do that. There's no point in neither of us being able to function."

"Thank you!" he said, a bit too eagerly. Everybody laughed. They all knew that Greg couldn't live without his coffee.

Grissom, who hadn't been there, walked in and said, "Alright, enough chitchat. Time for assignments. Warrick, you have a B&E on Tropicana. Catherine, Greg, you're with me. We have a double homicide at a Shimmer. Nick, Sara, if you can keep your hands off of each other, you're together on a rape case off Boulder Highway."

Sara's face fell visibly, but she reluctantly took the slip out of Grissom's outstretched hand. "Which would you rather today, Stokes? Country music or driving?"

"I'll take country music, I think. You drive," he said, dangling the Denali keys in front of her. She smirked at him smugly and snatched the keys out of his hand, turning on her heel and sauntering away.

* * *

They were driving out to the scene, country music playing at full blast through all of the Denali's loudspeakers. This was one of the few songs that Sara knew the words to, so she was singing along.

Suddenly, her face contorted in pain and the SUV swerved, narrowly avoiding running off the road.

Nick grabbed the dash. "Sara!" He was worried. She managed to slam on the brakes, throwing them both into their seat belts.

She was almost screaming now from pain. Her hands were crossed over her stomach as she bent as far forward as the steering wheel would allow her to. Sweat was pouring down her face.

Nick reached for his cell phone, hands shaking, and called 911 as fast as he could.

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, I know I'm cruel for leaving it there and for making it so short, but I'm tired and I want to go to bed. **Bauerfreak**, you may just get another chapter on your real birthday. It remains to be seen. Review, people! 


	27. The Tragedy

Author's Note: I'm not going to sugarcoat it. The next few chapters are going to get _very_ angsty. And many of you will hate me for it. But I'm begging you, stick with me for the next few chapters and it'll be worth it. This is as bad as the story is going to get. I promise. I expect I'll lose a few readers, and that makes me sad, but I swear upon George Coleman Eads III that this story will have a happy ending.

This chapter dedicated to **bauerfreak**, just because. Another bitter birthday present. But I'm working on a oneshot specially for you to make up for all of this.

To **Allie**: I'm sorry! Here's my peace offering! (Except you'll probably just hate me even more…) Thanks for reviewing.

To **jd**: Yeah, I'm not going to lie. Sad things will happen. I'm glad you liked the cruise, even though the chapter was written a bit…oddly. Thanks for reviewing.

To **MollyMKS**: And I didn't have your attention before! (Feigns being insulted) I'm updating, I'm updating! I just hope I can keep your attention for a bit longer…

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I have full ownership CSI, George, and Eric. Psht. Yeah right.

* * *

"_911, what is the nature of your emergency?_" an all-too-friendly voice came over the phone.

"It's my wife. She's screaming and holding her stomach. We need an ambulance!" he practically yelled into the phone.

"_Can you tell me your location, sir?_"

Nick was pissed. She sounded so cheerful. He relayed their location to her quickly, adding, "Please hurry, she's pregnant."

The ambulance arrived within a few minutes, and they strapped Sara onto a stretcher and loaded her into the back. Nick, getting out of the Denali, noticed that there was a lot of blood on Sara's seat. He knew that that couldn't possibly be a good thing. He followed her into the ambulance, sitting on the bench alongside her stretcher.

Nick could hear the sirens going and felt the ambulance race along at an incredibly high speed, but to Nick, he felt they couldn't have possibly been moving any slower.

* * *

Grissom's cell phone rang just as he was dusting for prints. "Grissom," he answered.

"_Grissom, it's Nick_," he said, and the panic was obvious in his voice. "_I need to talk to Catherine right now. She won't answer her phone._" He choked out the next words. "_It's Sara._"

Grissom stood up from the crouching position he was in, now fully alert. "What about Sara?" he asked worriedly.

"_Please, I just need to talk to Catherine, and now_," he pleaded.

"Catherine! It's Nick. He says he needs to talk to you about Sara!" Grissom called, putting the phone against his shoulder.

She raced over, taking the phone from Grissom. "Nick, it's Catherine. What's up?" She listened for a moment, and the colour drained from her face. "Well, you better get her to a hospital, and fast." She listened for another minute. "You're in the ambulance? Good. I'm coming over right now." Another pause. "No, Greg and Grissom can take care of it. I'll meet you there." She snapped the phone shut.

"What's the matter?" Grissom asked.

She explained to him what had happened, and he too turned pale.

She said, "I'm taking this with me," as she held up his cell phone. "My battery's dead," she explained.

"Okay."

* * *

At Desert Palm Hospital, Sara lay in the bed. The doctors had just left with blood and urine samples, and now they were running some tests. Catherine had arrived a few minutes ago and taken a seat in an armchair in the corner of the room, while Nick sat on a stool near her and held her hand as she looked at him worriedly.

"Hey," he said. "It's going to be okay."

She smiled at him softly. Just then, Dr. Holmes came in, carrying a clipboard.

"Hi, Sara," she said. "They paged me." The tone of her voice did not sound good.

"Hi, Dr. Holmes," Sara replied, equally glumly.

"I'm going to do an ultrasound, okay?" Dr. Holmes said, rummaging through a cabinet and coming out with a bottle of gel.

Sara nodded.

At that moment, Catherine excused herself from the room to go to the public washroom in the hall.

As Dr. Holmes prepared the gel, she started to explain, "At this point in time, your baby's heart has probably just started beating, so we should be able to see it."

She spread the warm gel over Sara's exposed stomach and hooked up the machine. She searched for what seemed like an eternity to both Sara and Nick for some sign that their baby was still alive.

Finally, Dr. Holmes put the scanner down and wrote something on her clipboard. She took a deep breath. "There's no easy way to say this," she said quietly.

But she didn't need to say any more than that.

They both knew their darling was dead.

* * *

Author's Note: I am _so_ sorry for doing this, as I've said before, but please understand that I know what I'm doing, and _please_ trust me. You must all think I'm the cruellest person alive, but believe me when I promise you that everything will be alright. Like I said, I expect I'll lose a few readers, but those of you who stick around, please review. Even if it's a flame. I can handle those. Again, I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. 


	28. The Tears

Author's Note: Holy crap. I got _SO_ many reviews last chapter, it's insane! I can't believe all the sadness I've spread, I really didn't mean for it to be that bad. I knew it would be angsty, but whoa! That said, I'm sorry, and I do solemnly swear that they end up with a healthy child, maybe children. Haven't decided yet.

This chapter is not as angsty as last chapter (I don't think), even though the title would make it out to be.

I have a deal with **bauerfreak**. She wrote one chapter of Lainey Stokes: American Idol (really good by the way, go check it out!) in return for two chapters of this. Personally, I think I'm getting the better end of the deal, but whatever, Hanna! I'm really tired now, so I'm sorry, but the second chapter of our dealwon't be upuntil tomorrow. As this is the last chapter I will ever post on your "special" bithday (you know what I mean!), this one's for you. Happy birthday, you Canadian ham!

I'm speeding things up a bit next chapter.

I just realized that I didn't reply to any anonymous reviews for Chapter Twenty-Five, so here they are, a bit late, granted, but better late than never, eh?

To **Allie**: Yeah, I actually heard that conversation taking place. It was definitely weird and hilarious. I really couldn't care less where they go on a honeymoon, I just want TPTB (haha, I know what that means now) to figure out that NICK AND SARA NEED TO GET TOGETHER! If they got together on the show at all, I'd be happy. Thanks for reviewing, and sorry the reply took so long.

To **MollyMKS**: I wasn't even alive when that song came out. At least not that I think. I really liked that chapter too, so I'm glad you agree! Thanks for reviewing.

To **Alex**: Thanks for reviewing!

And now for last chapter:

To **Allie**: If you can trudge through the angst that I'm about to pile on, I can promise you that the end will be well worth it. Thanks for reviewing.

To **jd**: I chose Catherine over Warrick because she's female. And I kind of forgot about Warrick. I seem to be doing that a lot lately (sheepish grin). Thanks for your kind words and for reviewing.

To **MollyMKS**: Thanks so much for your support and kind words. Your wish is my command!

To **Blondie**: Well, at least I've got your attention. Thanks for reviewing, and there will be more.

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: George is no more mine than your mother is a koala bear. But both of these are depressing thoughts. I mean, who wouldn't want a koala bear for a mother? Or George Eads to be theirs?

* * *

Sara closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but broke into quiet sobs very quickly, despite her efforts to maintain her composure. Nick hung his head in his hands, taking a few deep breaths. He reached over and tried to take her hand, but she withdrew and turned away from him, curling her legs up to her chest. 

This hurt Nick. He wanted nothing more than to hold his wife, but she obviously didn't want to be with him right then. He didn't know what to do, so he stood up and left the room into the hallway. Closing the door softly, he sighed as he leaned against the wall, taking the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. Just then, Catherine came back from the bathroom and saw him. Her face fell. She knew that something very bad had just happened.

"Oh, Nick…" she half-sighed. She wasn't sure whether she should ask him what was wrong or just wait for him to tell her himself.

He simply fell into her arms and started sobbing into her shoulder. She was taken by surprise but was quick to switch from friend mode into mother mode and wrap her arms around him and rubbed his back softly, comforting him.

"Sara…" he mumbled into her shoulder, then stood up a bit, realizing she might not be able to hear him. He choked out, voice little more than a whisper, "She had a miscarriage."

Now Catherine thought she was going to cry too, but she managed to hold it in as he cried until he had no more tears to cry.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the room, Dr. Holmes was trying to comfort Sara, while at the same time they'd have to talk about this in medical terms. 

Sara was not open to comfort. Frankly, she just wanted to be left alone so she could cry. But she knew that Dr. Holmes had to talk to her about it.

Sensing that Sara wanted to get this conversation over with, Dr. Holmes cleared her throat. "So, do you want to talk about what happens next?" When Sara gave a small nod, she continued. "You'll probably experience a lot of bleeding for the next few days. I'll give you a painkiller for the cramps, too. I'd guess that you'll be really sore for a while. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids."

Sara gave another small nod.

"I'd recommend that you want for at least one regular period before you try to get pregnant again."

Sara said quietly, "I'm never going to get pregnant again. I can't do it."

Dr. Holmes wasn't exactly sure how to respond, so she was thankful that Sara didn't appear to expect an answer. "Would you like some time alone?" she asked gently, sensing Sara's desire for solitude.

"Yes, please," she said timidly. Dr. Holmes left the room and Sara proceeded to cry all the tears that she had onto the pillow in quiet sobs.

* * *

Author's Note: Again, a _really_ short chapter. I apologize, but I didn't want to put it with next chapter because it doesn't really fit in. I'm thinking there will only be one, _maybe_ two more angsty chapters, and then the fluff returns for good! Please review, even though I know some of you hate me. 


	29. The Decision

Author's Note: Now I'm going to start speeding things up. Thanks to everybody who's reviewed so far. We're almost through the angst, people! Hang in there! Oddly enough, this chapter is that fluffy kind of angst.

This is the second chapter of our deal, **bauerfreak**!

To **Allie**: A few chapters ago, I asked what TPTB meant, so I get it now. :P Just a bit more angst, and then hardcore fluff until the end. Thanks for the review.

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I write FanFiction because I am a FAN. Not an OWNER.

* * *

Nick slammed his locker door shut at the end of shift and plopped down on the bench, hard. He hung his head in his hands. It had been three weeks since they'd found out about the miscarriage, and they were both taking it really hard. Sara was taking it in a much different way from Nick, though. She blamed herself for it. Nick tried and tried to reassure her that it was definitely not her fault, but she said that the night they went out drinking before they'd found out she was pregnant killed the baby, or that she must have done something wrong. He didn't understand why she didn't see that it wasn't her fault, and he would have given anything for her to understand.

Warrick entered the room and noticed Nick. Catherine, with the Stokes' permission, had told the team that Sara had miscarried. It was too painful for either one of them to talk about it much. Warrick saw Nick and his shoulders slumped. He knew how hard this was on them. "Is it about Sara?" he asked gently, sitting down next to Nick.

Nick rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Yeah," he said, nodding slightly.

"Want to talk about it?"

Nick contemplated for a moment. "It's just that…" he tried to find the right words. "She blames herself for what happened, and I don't know what to do to make her understand that it's not her fault and that I'm not mad at her or anything. It breaks my heart to see her heartbroken. She doesn't talk to me very much anymore. She doesn't really talk to anyone anymore, actually. She's just so…withdrawn. Almost like when I'm with her, she's just an empty shell. I don't know what I should do," he confided.

Warrick absorbed this for a moment, forming the sentences in his head. "Want my advice?" Nick nodded. "Do something that shows her that you really love her, without forcing her to talk. Just be with her."

Nick furrowed his brow. "Yeah…that's a good idea. Thanks, Rick."

"Anytime."

* * *

Nick drove him in his Denali. Sara had been taking a lot of time off lately, and tonight she was at home, probably eating some Ben and Jerry's right out of the carton with a spoon and watching a chick flick, he reasoned. He wasn't condemning her for that at all, though. She had every right, and he was formulating his plan as he was driving. If she was sitting on the couch, that would make his plan all the easier. He stopped at a flower store, amazed that you could find one that was open twenty-four hours in Vegas. He picked up a few lilies and white roses for her, and then went to a grocery store to pick up some more Ben and Jerry's. He knew they'd be almost out.

When he arrived at home, he found Sara sitting under an afghan, cross-legged, exactly as he'd predicted.

"Hi," she said quietly, spoon in her mouth.

"Hi, sweetheart," he said, smiling. He handed her the flowers and smiled at her. "I love you, Sara Stokes," he said.

She smiled a sweet, melancholy smile. "I love you too, Nicholas Stokes. Thank you," she said, as he handed her the pint of Ben and Jerry's he'd picked up. She wasted no time popping the cap off and digging right in.

Nick sat down on the end of the couch. "Put your feet up," he said, patting his thigh. She complied, turning herself around. He pulled her socks off and started rubbing her feet.

She just closed her eyes. "Oh, that feels so good, Nick."

They continued half-watching _Ever After_ as he rubbed her feet and she almost forgot the pint of ice cream she had until she stopped being able to feel her hand. She started taking small spoonfuls and eating them slowly, reaching over every so often to feed one to Nick.

They continued like that until _Ever After_ was over, and Sara was crying from it. She thought maybe she was PMSing, since that movie usually didn't make her cry. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I love you, baby," he said.

Her face fell, and Nick mentally slapped himself for calling her 'baby'. He tried to correct himself. "Sara, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Nick, Nick," she interrupted. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean that," she said, but sadness was still evident in her voice.

He decided to venture into what he knew was dangerous territory. "It's not your fault, honey."

She looked as though she was on the verge of tears. "I can't help but think that it is," she said timidly, not meeting his eyes and instead focussing on a forensic journal on the table.

"Sara, look at me." She did, and he took her chin in his hand. "It is _not_ your fault."

Her façade was broken and the tears began to fall silently from her eyes as she sat up and leaned against him, arms around his neck. Although it broke his heart to see the pain he caused her, he was doing backflips inside that she was coming back to him.

"Sara," he said gently, after she was done crying, "Do you want to try again sometime?"

If he'd asked her a week ago, she would have said something like, "Never again." But now, after his simple gestures, she couldn't even fathom not having children with him. He was so obviously her soul mate, and she couldn't bear the idea of them not having kids. She thought for what seemed like an eternity, and answered, "Yes. But not yet."

He completely understood that she didn't want to go through that again so soon. "Sure," he whispered, kissing her forehead and holding her until she fell asleep.

* * *

The next day, Sara decided to come to work. She wasn't looking forward to talking to everybody about this, but thankfully, they'd all gotten the message from Nick that it was a sensitive subject and not to bring it up. Warrick and Catherine were the only ones that Nick could talk to about it even remotely comfortably, and Sara could hardly stand to talk to it about Nick, much less anybody else.

She couldn't help but notice that everybody was acting a little weird around her, kind of like being with somebody you don't really know all that well and so you talk about the weather all the time. She shrugged it off and made her way to the DNA lab to get some results.

* * *

At home, Nick and Sara were eating cheese enchiladas and watching an episode of _Forensic Files_. Finally, Sara blurted out what had been on her mind all day.

"I want to have a baby with you," she said.

Nick was surprised. He wanted to have a baby with her too, but he was planning on waiting until she was ready, which he thought wouldn't be for quite a while. "O-okay," he stuttered. Still a bit unsure, he asked, "Now? I mean, soon?"

"Like right now," she answered.

"Sara…are you sure?"

"Definitely."

That was all it took. He came around the table and picked her up, kissing her as he carried her to the bedroom.

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

Sara had never been more nervous in her life. She held the pregnancy test in her hand, not sure whether she wanted to look at it yet. Nick was waiting in the living room, fidgeting like mad. Sara came out, and Nick raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"I can't look at it," she said, half in defeat, half in uncertainty. "If I am pregnant…is that okay?"

"Of course it is," Nick said reassuringly. "It's kind of all we've been trying to do for the last two weeks."

She took a deep breath. "Okay…" she said, still a bit unsure.

He stood up and walked over to her, taking her hands in his. "No matter what it says, I love you, okay?"

"Okay."

She walked back into the bathroom and picked up the test.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, this whole trying for a new baby thing. I had two choices right after he asked her if she wanted to try again: yes and no. Yes was less plausible, but no meant even more angst. And, quite frankly, I think we're all a little tired of angst. So I made my decision, and that's that. I know I left you hanging there a bit...Please review! 


	30. The Results

Author's Note: Holy crap. When I came home from school today, I had twenty new emails. TWENTY! And fifteen (or maybe more) of them were reviews! I really can't thank you all enough for that. I had a really bad day, and y'all just made it so great.

And…dun dun DUN…Over three hundred reviews! Thank y'all so much for your support and encouragement, even though the going has been rough the last couple of chapters.

To my late (not that that's a bad thing) Chapter 28 reviewers:

To **MollyMKS**: I'd kill to be Catherine. See, she and I have the same initials, so whenever I want to be Nick's crying shoulder, I throw in Catherine! Teehee. Thanks for reviewing.

To **jd**: Clouds will most definitely be lifted, I promise. Thanks for the review.

And now for the Chapter 29 reviewers:

To **MollyMKS**: It's true, you can only have so much angst in a romance. Glad to hear you like it, and, as always, thanks for reviewing.

To **Blondie**: Good. I'm glad. Thanks for reviewing.

To **Allie**: I'm glad you agree with me. It is quite depressing to write so much angst, (to me, anyway). Baby news in this chapter!

To **CSI-wanna-be23**: Thanks a lot. Baby news in this chappie!

To **jd**: Thanks for the suggestion. Keep reading to see what I did with it. Two months isn't actually that long of a time to recover, but just

A note to **bauerfreak**: I loved your line about "questionable car dancing" too much not to use it, so I totally stole it from you! (Just let me know if you want me to take it out.)

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: "Disclaimer" implies I have something to disclaim.

* * *

It was negative.

A feeling of utter disappointment came over Sara. She didn't really realize how much she'd wanted a baby until she didn't have one.

She came out of the bathroom, and Nick, pacing nervously, stopped and raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"I'm not pregnant," she said, sadness in her voice.

"Oh, Sara," he said. He knew how much she wanted to be pregnant. He came closer to her and embraced her, rubbing her back as she started to cry softly. She was especially emotional today, he noticed.

She didn't cry for very long, and when she finished, she said, "I'm sorry. I don't really know what's wrong with me. I can't control my crying."

He asked sensitively, "Is it going to be that time of month, Sar?"

He instantly regretted asking. Boy, if looks could kill. She looked at him, clearly telling him that that was something you just didn't ask a woman.

"Yes, if you must know," she snapped, exasperated.

He raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, sorry." He looked around the room for a distraction, but finding none, he said, "I'm just going to go to work early, okay?"

"Fine," she snapped.

Nick kissed her on the forehead and left the house. He wracked his brain, thinking. He only wished he knew what he'd done wrong.

* * *

He was there over an hour early, so he sat on the bench in the locker room, rubbing his forehead tiredly.

Catherine arrived about fifteen minutes after him, and motherly instinct kicked in. "Sara problems?" she asked.

"Big time," he answered.

She sighed. "What did you do?"

He was slightly insulted. "What do you mean, what did I do? Why do you automatically assume that it's my fault?"

"Nick, I'm not oblivious. Just the way you're sitting there rubbing your forehead is a dead giveaway that you feel bad about something you did."

He sighed. Why did she have to be so observant? "I'm not really sure what I did," he answered. "We took a pregnancy test and it was negative, she started crying, she said that she couldn't control her crying, and then I asked her if it was going to be that time of month soon."

At the last point, Catherine instantly smirked. "That's it, right there. _No_ man should ask that question."

He sighed, rolling his eyes. A stupid question that he had been stupid enough to mistake for one that he had the right to ask, since they were married. "I don't understand it. I've always been really direct with my sisters, why is it different with Sara?"

His naïveté was so precious to Catherine. "Just trust me, Nick, don't ask her again unless she brings it up."

"Okay, Cath. Thanks."

"Not a problem," she replied, smiling.

Sara arrived about half an hour later, and, after quickly finding Nick, hauled him off to a corner of the lab.

"Nick, I'm sorry about earlier," she came right out with it.

"That's okay, honey, I shouldn't have asked you. It's none of my business."

"Well, if I'm going to be an emotional wreck and treat you poorly, you have a right to know why, even though it's not an excuse," she replied.

"Fair enough."

Sara nodded, but after a minutes, she bit her lip nervously, and he noticed it.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"There's something else," she said.

He tilted his head forward and nodded slightly, signalling to her that she could tell him.

"I threw up right after you left."

Nick thought he could have fainted right there.

**

* * *

**

After shift, Nick raced into a drugstore and bought all six brands of pregnancy tests they carried. He didn't want to risk a wrong result, like they might have gotten this morning. After all, these things were only 99.7 percent accurate.

The clerk eyed him suspiciously, but ran them through the register anyway.

Nick didn't think he could have driven home any slower, even though they were already driving above the speed limit.

At home, Nick practically pushed Sara into the bathroom to take the test. She did, and came out for the two minutes it would take for the result to show.

They were both equally anxious, but when the timer they'd set went off, Nick restrained her from going in right away. He pulled her close, holding her hands, saying what he'd said last time.

"Whatever it says, I love you."

"I love you too," she answered, and kissed him. Then she went into the bathroom and picked up the test once more.

* * *

Sara came out of the bathroom with a bigger grin than Nick had ever seen.

"You'd better go pick up some green apples," she said with a glint in her eye.

The grin had proved to be infectious, as now Nick bore one that rivalled Sara's.

"I'll make an appointment with Dr. Holmes as soon as I can," she said. "Are you going to come?"

"I'd like to, I'll talk to Grissom. Have you noticed that he seems to be a lot more lenient about us taking time off ever since we got married?" Nick asked.

"Now that you mention it, yeah. Especially a while ago, when I left for three weeks." A hint of sadness was evident in her face as she remembered why she'd taken the time off.

"Well, we'd better start getting ready for work. Shift starts in less than half an hour, you know," he said, trying to change the subject.

"Okay. I call the bathroom!" she said childishly.

* * *

Grissom, Sara, and Nick all piled into one Denali, on their way to a decomp scene. Sara and Nick sat in the back together while Grissom drove. Sara remembered something she'd wanted to tell Nick but had forgotten.

She said slowly, stuttering a bit, "Nidagick, pledagease dodagon't tedagell adaganydagyodagone thadagat Idagi'm predagegnadagant yedaget." ("Nick, please don't tell anyone that I'm pregnant yet.")

He looked at her in surprise. Nobody in his entire family had figured it out in over twenty years, and she figured it out after only hearing a few lines exchanged between him and Michele?

"How did you figure that out?" Nick asked in disbelief.

"Google is a wonderful thing," Sara replied. "And it's not really that difficult."

Nick spoke slowly, enunciating clearly so she could understand him. "Wedagell, goodagood jodagob. Adagand Idagi wodagon't tedagell adaganydagyodagone." ("Well, good job. And I won't tell anyone.")

She smiled at him, and that was thanks enough. He leaned in to kiss her.

Grissom just raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat in warning, and they pulled apart. They couldn't help but smile at each other childishly, snickering every so often until they got to the scene, fingers interlocked the whole way.

* * *

Sara was so thankful that they had worked a decomp that night. She'd thrown up once, and it was definitely due to the baby, not the smell, but at least she could blame it on the scene.

They stopped at a small grocery store to pick up some lemons on the way home. Nick got out of the car and ran in quickly. Sara could see through the window that the clerk wrinkled her nose at Nick's smell, and laughed. He came back in a few minutes.

"Hey. I got some lemons, and I got you some green apples too," he said.

She chuckled. "Actually, Nick, it's not green apples this time. I'd really like a grapefruit with a bit of milk."

He smirked. "No two pregnancies are the same, huh?"

She shrugged sheepishly.

Laughing, he said, "I'll be right back," as he got out of the car once more.

They drove home listening to _Your Man_ on a CD that Sara had given him a few weeks ago. They bobbed their heads to the music, and to passers-by, they would have looked insane with their questionable car dancing.

Sara shampooed her hair in the shower, then ran half a lemon around the crown of her head, squeezing slightly so the juice ran down her hair. She rubbed it in, making sure the smell disappeared from it. She washed her arms with it, and her legs, and when she was finished, she shut off the water and towelled off.

"Nick!" she called. "Your turn!"

He came in just as she wrapped the towel around herself, and as soon as he did, she wrinkled her nose. "You need to shower," she said bluntly.

"I know, I know," he said, shrugging. He waggled his eyebrows and said seductively, "Care to join me?"

"No," she said without any hesitation in her voice. "You stink too much," said Sara, laughing as she left to go to the bedroom.

* * *

Author's Note: There you go. Chapter Thirty. Let me know what you think! 


	31. The Shock

Author's Note: Okay, this chapter will be the doctor's appointment, and maybe a little bit of fluff or something, and then I'm going to skip ahead about two months in the next chapter. Thanks so much to everyone who's reading and reviewing.

To **MollyMKS**: I'm going on the assumption that it wasn't a bad decomp. I think they're really cute too. Thanks for reviewing!

To **Allie**: I'm glad you're not getting bored with the alternation between fluff and angst. It's mostly fluff from here on out, with a slight blip in the middle. Guys can be so oblivious. I find it so amusing that they don't seem to understand that you just don't talk about "girl stuff" unless they bring it up first. Thanks for the review.

To **CSI-wanna-be23**: Baby news doesn't come this chapter, but it does come next chapter. I'm doing something that I've never read before (it might exist, I just haven't read it). Canada rocks! Thank you for your review.

To **Nikky's Girl**: I am, I am! Thanks for reviewing.

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Do you see my name in the credits anywhere? Anywhere at all? No. Sad but true.

* * *

_Doctor's Office_

"Sara Stokes?" the receptionist called. "Dr. Holmes will see you now."

Sara stood up and followed her into the examination room. Nick hadn't been able to get any time off work, so she was there alone today. Grissom had promised that they could both go next time.

Like last time, she handed her a gown and directed her to change into it while she waited for the doctor.

Sara quickly stripped and replaced her own clothes with the gown.

"Are you decent?" Dr. Holmes asked in a few minutes from the other side of the door.

"Yes," Sara called back, still not quite understanding why it mattered, and the friendly blonde entered.

Flipping through Sara's charts, she said, "I see that you've changed your name. Did you get married?"

Sara held up her hand, displaying the sparkling ring. Dr. Holmes smiled. "Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"So, you think you're pregnant again?"

"Yeah. Nick and I have been trying for the last two weeks, and I took a test and it was positive. Actually, I took four tests, and one of them was negative, but I have two more at home. It's just that I couldn't really pee anymore," Sara said sheepishly.

The doctor laughed. "Okay, well, just lie back and I'm going to examine you." Sara obeyed.

When she was finished, she removed her gloves and leaned back in her chair as she wrote something on the clipboard.

"You're pregnant," she said happily, confirming Sara's suspicions.

Sara was overjoyed, but at the same time, memories of her last pregnancy overwhelmed her. "What are my chances of miscarriage, now that I've already had one?" she asked.

"They're no different than before," she answered. "Most women who suffer miscarriages will only suffer one in their life."

"Okay," Sara said, still somewhat apprehensive.

"I'm just going to take a blood test so I can see that your hormone levels are normal, okay?"

"Sure," Sara said, as the doctor prepared a syringe.

When she was finished, she said, "As always, Sara, if you have any questions, feel free to call me at any time."

"Thank you," Sara replied, genuinely grateful.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sara came to the lab late. She'd promised to come work the last six hours of shift after her appointment.

During break, she hauled Nick off to a private corner of the lab, where he anxiously awaited the doctor's news.

"It's official," she said. "I'm pregnant."

The way his eyes lit up was so precious, and he kissed her on the cheek and wrapped his arms around her. When he opened his eyes, he saw Greg standing there with his jaw practically on the floor and his eyes so wide they looked like they were going to split.

"Again!" he squeaked.

Once again, Sara was disappointed to have someone else know sooner than she wanted, but better Greg than Ecklie. "Not a word, Greg," she warned, "or I will make you permanently female."

* * *

At home, Sara and Nick were eating dinner when the phone rang. Nick answered. "Hello?" He listened for a minute and held it out to Sara. "It's for you," he said.

She took the phone from him, wondering who would be calling her.

"Hello, Sara speaking."

"_Sara? This is Dr. Holmes. I wanted to let you know something. I just got the blood work back that I took from you earlier, and there is an extremely high level of the pregnancy hormone, hCG. So, I have to ask you, do twins run in your or your husband's family?_"

Sara almost dropped the phone. "Yes, they do."

"_Well, I think you may be carrying more than one baby. The levels are so high I might even guess triplets._"

Sara spat out the drink she had been taking. "Are you serious?"

"_Yes, I am. I won't be able to know for sure until I can perform an ultrasound in a few months, but that's what I'm guessing._"

Sara stuttered out, "Well, okay, thank you. When can I have an ultrasound?"

"_Well, you've been pregnant for a week from what I can tell, so I'd recommend a scan in six weeks or so._"

"Can I make an appointment now?" she asked.

"_Certainly. I have an opening on May 31st at nine o'clock, if you can make it. That's the right time frame,_" she explained.

"Can you pencil me in? I have to check with my boss first."

"_Sure, I'll do that. And by the way, congratulations_," she said honestly.

"Thank you," Sara replied, and hung up the phone with a beep.

"What was that about?" Nick asked.

She stammered, "I-I think we might be having triplets," upon which Nick promptly fainted.

* * *

Author's Note: I told you I wasn't doing twins…I never said anything about triplets! 


	32. The Scan

Author's Note: Skipping some time…six weeks to be specific. Thank y'all for y'all's support. I love y'all!

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: (Eyes bug out) Holy crap! So many reviews! I'm going to reply to you in person on Tuesday because it's easier than typing it all out. But thanks!

To **MollyMKS**: You'll find out this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

To **Allie**: Yeah, the basic rule of discussing girl stuff: Don't. I think he's learned that by now. Triplet time! Thanks for the review.

To **CSI-wanna-be23**: I had fun with the idea of Nick fainting. Thanks for reviewing!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Je n'ai pas le CSI, mais je le veux. George est très très sexy.

* * *

_Six Weeks Later_

Sara lay on the examination table, Nick on a chair beside her. Her shirt was rolled up to expose her belly, which Dr. Holmes was now covering with warm gel.

Sara smiled up at Nick. She was so excited that she would finally get to see her babies.

Dr. Holmes placed the scanner over her belly and searched around until she found what she was looking for. The monitor displayed three pulsing spots, and motioning to them, she said, "Those are their heartbeats. You're going to have triplets."

Sara was ecstatic. Nick was still a bit unsure. "Are they boys or girls?" he asked.

"It's too early to tell," she replied, "but if you come back in about three months I can tell you then."

Sara was watching the monitor the whole time, and her eyes welled up after a minute. She started silently crying.

"Sara, honey, what's wrong?" Nick asked worriedly.

"Nothing's wrong," she said, wiping her eyes and sniffing. "I just can't believe that this is really happening. We're going to be parents," she said, voice full of wonder.

He kissed her. They both seemed to forget that there was another person in the room until Nick remembered.

He pulled back, a bit embarrassed. "Sorry," he said to Dr. Holmes sheepishly.

She smiled and chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I felt the same way when my daughter was born."

"You have a daughter?" Sara asked.

"Yeah. Tessa, she's fifteen. She's my oldest."

"Aww," Sara cooed.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Girls," he muttered under his breath.

She swatted him on his rock-hard bicep. "Let's see if you say that when I have your children."

"I probably won't," he said, kissing her once more. Dr. Holmes thought they were the cutest couple she'd ever seen, and she hated to break them up, but she needed to go over this.

"So, there are some special concerns with multiple births," she said.

Sara sat up and Nick leaned back as they listened to her explain the increased risk of premature birth, miscarriage, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, placental problems, and fetal growth problems. "You'll also most likely have to have a C-section," she added.

Sara was nervous, especially about the increased chance of miscarriage. Dr. Holmes reassured her that they would monitor the pregnancy very closely. This helped Sara a bit, but she was still uneasy.

They finished talking and Sara got cleaned up, and then they left the office to go home.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, I know that that chapter was really short too (it was the shortest yet by about 400 words), but I think next chapter kind of makes up for it. And I'm going to update really quickly too. Like in ten minutes. **Heartagram Lala**, you get a bit of what I know you would've liked to see at the end of Chapter Thirty…I will say no more. Please review! 


	33. The Shower

Author's Note: I know you all want more, so let'sspeed upall the technical stuff. Show isn't mine, song isn't mine, and George isn't mine. You know the drill.

* * *

Nick woke up before Sara the next day after a rather passionate and ardent night together and got out of bed to get some crackers. Sara had been having really bad morning sickness lately, even worse than her first pregnancy. She was throwing up five or six times some days, so Dr. Holmes had recommended a few things to help cure it, and eating plain crackers before getting out of bed was one of them. So far, it had seemed to work pretty well. She still threw up every day, but nowhere near as much as she had before. She also slept a lot more. They never really went out anymore. It was work, home, and sleep for Sara, and Nick didn't like to leave her alone sleeping at home, so he never went out either. He was extremely protective of her after what their job had shown them could happen to sleeping women.

She woke up just as he re-entered the room and smiled at him broadly. "Mornin', beautiful," he said as he knelt on the bed, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek.

"Hi," she said. Taking the crackers from him, she said, "Thanks."

Sara had become very talented at eating crackers in bed without getting crumbs all over the place. At first, they were all over the place, but it was an art that Sara was quickly mastering.

She ate a few of them and then slowly got out of bed, hoping not to throw up. She went to shower while Nick went to go make breakfast, pancakes with strawberries as well as a grapefruit and some milk for Sara.

Since marrying Nick, Sara had become a lot more carefree, and now she sang in the shower almost everyday. Today, she happened to have _Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy_ stuck in her head, so that's what she sang.

_**Well, I walk into the room  
**__**Passing out hundred dollar bills  
**__**And it kills and it thrills like the horns on my Silverado grill  
**__**And I buy the bar a double round of crown  
**__**And everybody's getting down  
**__**An' this town ain't never gonna be the same.  
**_'_**Cause I saddle up my horse  
**__**And I ride into the city  
**__**I make a lot of noise  
**_'_**Cause the girls  
**__**They are so pretty  
**__**Riding up and down Broadway  
**__**On my old stud Leroy  
**__**And the girls say  
**__**Save a horse, ride a cowboy.  
**__**Everybody says  
**__**Save a horse, ride a cowboy**_

Nick heard her singing from the kitchen, and he got an idea. He approached the bathroom, taking off the grey t-shirt he'd been wearing as he went, leaving it in a heap on the floor as he undid his belt buckle. He entered the bathroom and started singing along with her, continuing undressing.

_**Well I don't give a dang about nothing  
**__**I'm singing and Bling-Blanging  
**__**While the girls are drinking  
**__**Long necks down!  
**__**And I wouldn't trade ol' Leroy  
**__**Or my Chevrolet for your Escalade  
**__**Or your freak parade  
**__**I'm the only John Wayne left in this town**_

He opened the shower curtain and stepped inside with her, smiling as a greeting. She had shampoo in hair, suds all over her head and running down her cheek. Nick leaned in and kissed her. The singing stopped for a minute as they kissed. He ran his fingers through her hair, taking some of the shampoo and rubbing it on his own head. She started singing again.

_**And I saddle up my horse  
**__**And I ride into the city  
**__**I make a lot of noise  
**_'_**Cause the girls  
**__**They are so pretty  
**__**Riding up and down Broadway  
**__**On my old stud Leroy  
**__**And the girls say  
**__**Save a horse, ride a cowboy.  
**__**Everybody says  
**__**Save a horse, ride a cowboy**_

And ride a cowboy is what she did.

* * *

Author's Note: Again, a really short chapter, but I didn't want to put this and the last chapter together, because they didn't really go together. Like, last chapter was "The Scan" and this one is "The Shower". I mean, what would I call it if I put them together? "The Scour"? I have had this song stuck in my head for a week, and it's bugging me! So I wrote it in. Please review! 


	34. The Return

Author's Note: Over the river and through the woods, to Dallas, Texas, we go…

To **Allie**: I _love_ that song (I'm listening to it as I write this), and I couldn't resist putting it in. I seriously considered putting those two chapters together, just so I could call it "The Scour". I'm glad I made the right choice. Thanks for reviewing.

To **MollyMKS** (Review for Chapter Thirty-Two): I love it when Nick is cute. Nothing like flirting over a D.B. Well, except there's no D.B. Whatever. I love fluff. I'm glad you do too. Thanks for the review!

To **MollyMKS** (Review for Chapter Thirty-Three): We definitely need more Nick Stokes in this world. He's so cute! I love that song. Thanks for reviewing!

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover** (Review for Chapter Thirty-Two): Oh yes. He is sexy. And research isn't hard. I'll give you a hint: GOOGLE! Thanks for reviewing.

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover** (Review for Chapter Thirty-Three): The song is by Big and Rich. Chances are I'll be singing it at school for the next three weeks, so be prepared for that, okay? That and _Bohemian Rhapsody_, as usual. Thanks for reviewing!

To **CSI-wanna-be23**: I'm not telling the combo as of yet, but believe me, _This One's For The Girls_ is an absolutely wonderful song, and it'll definitely make an appearance. I was planning on using it anyway. I haven't heard _Blessed_, I'll listen to it and decide about that. Thanks for the suggestion. _Save a Horse_ is SUCH a hard song to get out of your head. In the past, I've found that the only effective cure for getting a song out of your head is to listen to it, but it doesn't work for this one! Thanks for reviewing!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: It's not mine. Believe me, if it was, I'd be writing real episodes and not FanFiction.

* * *

Nick and Sara landed in Dallas during the middle of a record-setting heat wave. The dry heat that hit Sara when they disembarked made her want to vomit, and she very nearly did.

Michele picked them up in her Mustang, wearing a light green spaghetti strap tank top and a short pair of khaki shorts, topped off with a black Stetson.

Sara hugged her. "Hi, Michele. Good to see you again." Pulling back, she noticed the outfit. "Wow. You did _not_ have five kids."

Michele laughed. "I did. How are you?"

Sara and Nick had decided to tell only the people they'd originally decided to tell, Michele, Jillian, and Bill. "Pregnant," she answered.

Michele covered her mouth and squealed. "Congratulations! When are you due?"

"Well, we're not really sure."

"Haven't you been to a doctor?" she asked.

"Oh, we've been to a doctor," Sara said, a knowing look in her eye. "It's just that births of this nature tend to be premature."

Michele's jaw dropped. "Twins?"

Sara shook her head, smiling.

"Triplets?" she squealed.

Sara nodded proudly. Nick placed one hand on her stomach and kissed her right in front of her ear.

"I'm gonna be a daddy," he said proudly.

"Well, congratulations times three!"

"Thanks," said Sara, grinning. "But mum's the word, okay?"

"No problem."

Sara felt a familiar churning in her stomach. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go puke," she said as she turned to go to the washroom.

Nick looked after her worriedly. He didn't like that she was throwing up so much.

Michele put on hand on his arm and said, "Don't worry, she'll be okay. It just so happens that pregnancy is survivable."

Nick laughed slightly. "I'll try to remember that, thanks," he said wryly.

"I have my own news when she comes back," Michele said secretively.

Nick raised an eyebrow curiously, but shrugged it off until Sara came back. "Michele says she has some news for us."

Sara looked at her expectantly, but Michele said, "Actually, I think I'll tell the whole family together."

"Awww, come on, Michele. Don't torture us like that," Nick whined.

"What are you going to do about it?" she jokingly challenged.

Remembering something that had happened last time they came, Sara decided to see if they could use it against her. Turning to Nick, she said, "Why don't you share with us why you call her Blondie?"

The colour drained from her face as she said to Nick, "You wouldn't!"

Just to prove that he would, he turned to Sara and said, "In high school, Michele decided that –"

Michele interrupted him, but instead of telling them her news, she said, "You know, I could tell her why we call you Poncho."

Sara piped up, "Or you could tell me both."

Michele shook her head, smiling. "We'll tell you in the car, but I'm still not telling you my news yet," she said. "Nick, take the bags."

* * *

Riding in the Mustang with the top down, Sara and Nick sat in the back while Michele drove.

"So, why are you called Blondie, Michele?" Sara asked.

Nick answered. "In high school, she decided that she wanted to dye her hair blonde. She'd never dyed it before, and Mom didn't want any of her girls to ever dye their hair. But none of us ever listened to Mom. So, one day, Michele went to the store and got a box of blonde dye." Sara could see where this was going. Hair dye accidents. Priceless. He continued. "Anyway, she asked for my help getting it into her hair, and I agreed. On a few conditions, of course." Sara laughed. "The problem was, she has the thickest hair I've ever seen, and it was really long at the time too. We ran out of dye halfway through, so she made me go back to the store to get more. I did, but I got the wrong kind. So I came back and just started putting it back in her hair. I didn't notice that it was different. You can't leave hair half-done anyway, and when you put the wrong kind in, well, that just makes it all wrong. Plus, her red hair came through anyway. It was awful. Of course, Mom found out. She must have radar or something. She doesn't miss a thing."

"Except the things you know about each other," Sara added. "Like all those dates you were spilling last time."

"Thank goodness for small mercies," Michele said. "Even though I'm in my forties, she'd still ground me if she found out about those things. I don't put it past her for a second."

"And now, Michele, you tell me why he's called Poncho," Sara said, satisfied with the "Blondie" answer.

Nick knew it was coming, but he still groaned.

"Come on, Poncho, you told my story, now I get to tell yours," she said.

"Fine," he pouted.

"When he was three, he somehow managed to get _all_ of his clothes dirty. And I mean _filthy_. Covered in mud. On his underwear, everything. He'd been playing in the mud pit we have out in the back, and whenever he came in, Mom would just change his clothes and tell him not to go back in."

"In my own defense, I was three. Three-year-olds don't listen," Nick tried to explain.

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, he managed to go out so many times that he got all his clothes dirty, including Ethan's hand-me-downs. So, we put the only thing we had left on him: a girl's poncho. _Very_ girly. It was pink with little embroidered flowers along the edges. Well, he didn't get that dirty, but he had nothing else on underneath it. He ran around the house for a few hours in it."

"Are there pictures?" Sara asked hopefully.

"Are you kidding me? There are more pictures of Nick in that poncho than there were at your wedding!"

"Do we know the location of these pictures?" Sara asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He doesn't, because he'd just destroy them, but I most certainly do."

"You _have_ to show them to me."

"Believe me, I will."

Nick leaned over and whispered something to Sara. Michele looked at them in the rearview mirror and narrowed her gaze. "What did you say?"

"Oh, just that there are pictures of you too, _Blondie_."

* * *

Once at the ranch, Nick went upstairs to take a shower. Sara and Michele plopped down on the couch. "Michele, do you have any grapefruit?"

Michele grinned. "Craving?"

Sara nodded.

"Sure. Just a sec."

She came back with a grapefruit and spoon in one hand and a can of oysters and a can opener in the other.

"Thanks." Noticing the can, she asked, "What's with the oysters?"

Leaning forward and whispering conspiratorially, Michele said, "You won't tell anyone?" Sara shook her head. "I'm pregnant too."

Sara grinned. "Congratulations!" she squealed.

"Shh, not so loud."

"Oh, sorry. How far are you?"

"Six weeks," she replied.

"I'm nine," Sara said.

Michele leaned her head back on the couch. "Do your feet hurt? My feet are killing me," Michele said, kind of out of nowhere.

"Not right now, but sometimes they really hurt. Do you want a foot rub?"

Michele lifted her head up. "Would you?"

"Sure," she said, putting the grapefruit down and taking Michele's foot.

Nick came down the stairs in a towel, thinking that Michele would have gone home by now. Nobody else was there. It was the Stokes kids' habit just to let themselves into their old house whenever they felt like it, even if Bill and Jillian weren't there.

Sara could see Nick, but he was behind Michele's back. Sara looked up at Nick, and seeing the towel, said, "Wow. You're hot. I should date you."

Nick laughed. "I think we've gotten past that step." Noticing Michele, he said, "Oh, Michele, I didn't know you were still here. What's with the oysters?"

"It's that time of month and I just really want oysters," she lied, knowing it would embarrass him somewhat.

"I thought celery was your thing," he said. "Or is that Silo?"

"No, celery is mine. Silo is…" she thought for a minute, "…hard-boiled eggs, I think. Maybe that's Stephanie. I don't know. It doesn't matter. I want oysters right now, so that's what I'm having."

"Well, good luck with that."

Michele looked at Sara and shrugged as if to say, _What does that even mean?_

"Whatever," Nick said, going back up to get dressed, although Sara would have much preferred he stay in the towel.

"Guys," Michele said, rolling her eyes. "They're so oblivious."

"I heard that!" Nick yelled.

Sara laughed. Michele looked at her can of oysters in thought.

"What's the matter?" Sara asked.

"Nothing. I was just wondering if we have any vinegar," Michele said, going to the kitchen to check.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, there you have it. Chapter Thirty-Four. There will probably be one or two more Texas chapters, but I don't know for sure yet. See that little purple button? It's pretty, isn't it? Maybe you should go click it and see what happens… 


	35. The Supper

Author's Note: So, today is April 19, 2006, also known as 4-19-2006, and since it starts with everybody's favourite CSI code, 419, I thought I'd post a little chapter in honour of this wondrous occasion.

Okay, I need to explain something. No, there was no previous mention of them going to Texas. I just felt like throwing them back there for a while, because I'm going to have some fun with that. Sorry if that was confusing. My fault, I should have explained that better. Anyway, there will be a few more "Texas chaps" (get it? Special thanks to **CSI3Snickers** for that!) before heading back to Vegas, then it's baby time soon after that! And…I can't believe it! 400 reviews! I honestly never expected to get half that far. Now I owe you all so much, and I will personally email you all a link to a picture of shirtless, wet George. Of course, you've all already exceed my expectations and hopes. I love you all!

To **MollyMKS**: The thought of Nick in a towel makes my day too. That's why I put it in there. Crazy cravings…I couldn't resist that. Thanks for reviewing!

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: Let's just assume that they did, but nobody ever brings it up. How did I ever become your spell-binding lover if you don't like seafood? You are dead to me. Just kidding :P I've been thinking about that suggestion you gave me a while ago…involving lingerie…

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: You reviewed twice! How did you do that? Anyway, you were number 400, or maybe 399 since you did it twice. Oh well. I still less than three you equally as much…

To **CSI-wanna-be23**: Oh, I have plenty of country songs stored up for future use. Don't sweat it. Thanks for reviewing!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Only the original characters are mine. Sadly, that does not include George.

* * *

Michele's family came over for dinner at the Stokes'. Everybody knew about Sara's miscarriage, and they were smart enough not to bring it up. Nobody knew that Sara and Michele were both pregnant again, except for their husbands and Michele's kids. 

When supper was over, Charlie and Michael went to go play on the xBox while the other three started a game of hide-and-seek. Sara, Nick, Michele, Magnus (her husband), Bill, and Jillian sat around the table.

Leaning back into his chair, Bill folded his arms and asked Sara, "So what do your parents do, Sara?"

The water nearly involuntarily spurted from her mouth. Choosing her words carefully, she said, "My dad died when I was little. My mom still lives in Tamales Bay. She doesn't travel much."

"Why not?" Bill asked. He really didn't know what he was getting himself into.

Sara pursed her lips for a moment, unsure of how to answer. "She gets motion sick. Planes, trains, and automobiles," she explained. It was actually true. Laura Sidle did get motion sick at even the slightest things.

Jillian spoke in her gentle voice, "How did your father die, if you don't mind me asking?"

Nick made eye contact with his mother and shook his head slightly, as if to say, _Don't go there, Mom_.

Sara said after another sip of water, "I'd really rather not talk about it, if you don't mind."

"Sure," Jillian said, nodding and smiling.

"But, there is something I want you to know," she said, taking Nick's hand and smiling at him. "You're about to get three now grandchildren," she said, placing a hand over her stomach.

Bill looked at Nick as though to make sure it was true. He raised his eyebrows questioningly, and Nick raised his and nodded slightly, smiling.

Jillian got up and hugged Sara. "Congratulations!" she exclaimed. "Triplets!" She could hardly contain herself. "How far are you?"

"Nine weeks," she said.

Bill asked if they'd thought about names.

"Not really," Sara said. "We've thought a bit about the name Ciara, but for now, we're going to wait a bit longer until we find out the sexes."

"You're not going to be surprised?" Jill asked. She'd been surprised with all of her kids except for Nick. But even that had been a surprise, since he looked like a girl in the sonogram.

Sara reconsidered for a minute. "I think I'd like to be surprised, actually."

"Whatever you want," Nick said, although he really wanted to be surprised. He leaned over and kissed her. When he leaned back, her face turned red at she smiled, embarrassed.

Michele spoke up. "I have some news of my own, too." Sara smiled, knowing what it was. "I'm pregnant too."

The entire scenario was repeated, and Michele said that this time, unlike her other kids, she was going to be surprised by the sex too.

Jillian started to collect the plates, and Nick jumped up. "Here, Mom, let me help you with that."

Even though they'd just eaten, Sara felt a familiar rumbling in her stomach. "Nick?" she called. He poked his head around the corner and raised his eyebrows. "Will you bring me a grapefruit?"

Nick laughed and reached into the fridge, but stopped as soon as he touched it as something occurred to him. He came around the corner and pointed a finger at Michele. "So _that's_ why you wanted oysters!"

She shrugged. "Guilty as charged."

Nick handed his wife the grapefruit and a spoon, then went back into the kitchen to help Jillian wash the dishes.

Michele and Sara went outside and sat on the swing.

"How long have you been married?" Sara asked of Michele.

"Fifteen years," she replied, "going on sixteen."

Sara whistled. "I can only hope that Nick and I last that long."

"Believe me, you will. I've seen you guys, and you're good. Take it from someone who's been there. You've got chemistry, that's obvious to anyone, even if they're not a CSI."

"Thanks. Well, I should hope we have chemistry. I mean, after all, I'm carrying his children."

Michele laughed. "How did he react when you told him there were three?"

"He fainted."

"That's so typical," she chuckled. "He faints a lot."

"Really?" asked Sara incredulously.

"Well, not _a lot_. I only remember two times. Once was when I told him I was pregnant for the first time. He's protective of me like that, I guess."

"That seems just like him."

"Mmhmm. The second time he fainted of heat stroke. He almost had to go to the hospital. I remember that. He was about sixteen, thought he was invincible, you know teenage boys." Sara nodded knowingly. "Anyway, he decided it would be a good idea to go on a trail ride with a girlfriend. Now, if I were to ask you what colour Nick looks best in, you'd say…"

"Black," she said, shrugging as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Mmhmm. And he knew it. So he wore black leather chaps over jeans, a black button-up shirt, and of course, a black cowboy hat. Now, riding his horse in the hot sun for a few hours, wearing all black, and being too tough to bring a water bottle? That's just a recipe for disaster. He had really bad heat stroke when he got back, on the verge of fainting. He probably didn't mind showing himself off a bit in front of his girlfriend, so at least he was smart enough to take his shirt off."

"Oh, I can only imagine that," Sara said, giggling.

"Well, he got back, and nobody else was home. I swear, if I were him, I would have drank a gallon of water. He was even walking around in his boxers, and then I guess he lay down on the couch and passed out. We found him later and Mom waved some ammonia under his nose to revive him. Stupid teenager," she muttered, laughing and shaking her head.

They heard the phone ring inside, and Nick picked up. "Hello?…Hi, Ryan." It was Stephanie's husband. "What! Right now? Okay, we'll be right there!"

He ran outside to the two women. "Steph just went into labour. We're going to the hospital now, come on!"

They jumped up excitedly. "I have to get my kids, then I'll be right there," Michele said.

"I'll wait with you," Sara said. "I know where Charlie and Michael are, I'll go get them."

"Okay, thanks," she said. "I'm going to go find the other three. They were playing hide-and-seek, so this should be fun."

Duncan was "It", so he was easy to find, since he was counting so loudly. Chad was easy to find too. His feet were sticking out from under a curtain.

She brought those two down to meet Charlie, Michael, and Sara. "Do you know where Madison is?" Michele asked her boys.

They all shook their heads and shrugged the trademark Stokes shrug. (Author's Note: Try saying that five times fast!)

They searched for fifteen minutes for the nine-year-old, but she was nowhere to be found.

Madison was missing.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, just a bit of a cliffie there. I'm sure you can all handle it. Review and maybe I'll let you know what happens! 


	36. The Search

Author's Note: I can see that I've worried some of you, thinking that now this is going to get angsty or something. I can assure you, it won't. I'm actually hoping one or two of you might get a laugh out of it. As always, thanks to everybody who reads and reviews this story so faithfully. You truly are sometimes the reason I get up early in the morning to post a new chapter.

To **MollyMKS**: In real life, I like to embarrass guys. It's so fun to talk about PMS or something in front of them and watch their faces turn red. I'm glad you like the stories about Nick, there are plenty more where those came from! I agree with you, cliffhangers make life so much more interesting. Thanks for reviewing!

To **CSI-wanna-be23**: Keep reading to find out what happens! Thanks for the suggestion, I'll check it out and keep it in mind! Thanks for the review. (And thanks for reviewing Head Over High Heels!)

To **snickers**: Nick looks good, actually great, in (and out of) anything, I just used black to further my story. Thanks for reviewing!

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: Yeah, yeah. Oops. Apparently, you got the meaning anyway, so there's really no need for me to go fix it now, is there? Wow, you reviewed with magic? You mean like Harry Potter? (Bother!) Just keep reading, you'll find out where Maddie is in this chapter! I, too, love fluff. Stokes shrug, Stokes shrug, Stokes shrug, Stokes shrug, Stokes shrug! Thanks for reviewing!

To **Allie**: Don't worry, nothing bad happens, I promise. I love the Stokes and Michele especially, and I can assure you that there will be more embarrassing stories to come! Thanks for reviewing!

To **olivia wall**: Sorry, I already have a spell-binding lover…and she does deserve it…but you can have an Alan Rickman Christmas… "Other stuff" can wait? What "other stuff"? Homework? Which is kind of important, considering I'd really like to get into university in the near future. I do my best, sista. Thanks so much for your review that rockeths!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: (I'm running out of disclaimer ideas, so I'm going back to my personal favourite so far.) If CSI was mine, Nick would either be with Sara or me and Warrick would always be shirtless.

* * *

"Okay," said Michele, trying not to panic. "She can't have gone far. Let's keep looking." 

"Michele, Steph isn't going to be in labour forever," Nick pointed out.

Michele interjected, "Well, let me know if you still think that next time you're in labour."

"Yeah, I'll do that," he said with a chuckle. "Look, why don't you go; we'll keep looking," he said, gesturing towards himself and Sara. "Steph probably won't want me there anyway," he said, chuckling.

Michele laughed a little. She glanced from Nick, to the door, to Sara, and back to Nick again for a few minutes. Finally, she grabbed her keys off the table and ran out the door with her husband and other kids close behind.

The house was suddenly very quiet. Nick turned to his wife. "You know, Mrs. Stokes, we have the whole house to ourselves…" he growled, taking her hips in his hands and peppering her neck with kisses. She giggled.

"Stop it, Nick, we have to find Madison," she said, although she liked his plan much better.

He stopped. "You're right, we do."

They searched high and low for the next half hour, when Sara ran to the bathroom, having to, as usual, throw up. She urged Nick to keep looking in the meantime. After she was finished, she leaned back on her heels and noticed a photo of the outside of the house on the back of the toilet. Leaning in to get a better look, she counted six kids and one very pregnant Jillian. Sara smiled a bit. She could relate. Sara scanned through the rest of the photo and noticed something in the background. She was struck with a realization.

She walked out of the bathroom to the kitchen, calling Nick as she went. She was a woman on a mission. She stopped at the rack of keys near the door and scanned through the labels until she found the one she wanted. Just then, Nick caught up to her. He saw the label on the key she'd taken and said, "You think – "

"Red hair and twins aren't the only things that run in your family," she said, going through the sliding glass door and marching in the general direction of the silo.

They opened the door to the silo and each sighed in relief. Nine-year-old Madison was asleep inside. Nick approached her and shook her shoulder gently. "Maddie, sweetie, wake up. It's Uncle Nick."

Sara thought one of the most telling signs of a man was the way he woke up a child, and in her book, Nick passed with flying colours. Any shadows of doubt she had hidden in the back of her mind about if they were truly ready for kids melted away instantly.

Madison opened her eyes slowly and focussed on Nick. "I fell asleep," she explained, half to them, half to herself.

"We know," Nick said. "Look, Auntie Stephanie is having her baby right now. We're going to go see her at the hospital, okay?"

She nodded sleepily, and Nick bent down and scooped her up. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and nestled her head in the crook of his neck.

He loaded her into the car his parents had left for them to use. She'd already fallen asleep, apparently more tired than she was interested in the prospect of getting a new cousin.

As Nick slid into the driver's seat, Sara asked if finding Madison was as exciting as finding Silo.

"I don't know," he explained. "I wasn't born yet. Mom popped two days after, actually."

" 'Popped' is such a minimizing term," Sara said. "I'm pretty sure that if men could go through labour, it wouldn't ever be called 'popping'."

"Well, normally I'd totally agree with you, but in my case it was actually true. Her water broke and I was born fifteen minutes later. They say labour gets shorter every time, and by kid number seven, I think it would be pretty short."

Sara laughed. "Fifteen minutes? I'm not even sure I can last that long! We both know that I'm going to be screaming bloody murder at you when I have these three troublemakers."

"Oh, believe me, I'm looking forward to it," Nick said sarcastically, to which Sara just punched him in the arm.

* * *

By the time they arrived at the hospital, Stephanie had already had her baby, a very healthy boy who they named Kiefer Ryan. Apparently, Nick was right and labour got shorter each time. With five girls already, it was bound to be relatively quick, and it _was_ quick, only an hour long. The hospital room was packed, and it was only Bill, Jillian, and Nick's siblings and their spouses, as well as Stephanie's five other kids. All the other munchkins had to wait outside, and they got more than a few curious glances from passers-by. 

Sara cooed as she took Kiefer from Stephanie and bounced him around gently. Nick couldn't help but look on and think how perfect a mother she was going to be. Sara laughed when Nick took him. Kiefer woke right up, took one look at him, and started crying. He turned red, as he was the only person to make him cry so far, and quickly passed the baby back to Stephanie.

Eventually, the families with younger kids started to leave, and there was more and more room, until Stephanie's family, Michele's family, Nick and Sara, and Bill and Jillian were the only ones left. Somehow, they managed to squeeze everybody inside the tiny room, and those who were big enough were all taking turns holding Kiefer. He was a big boy, eight pounds, fourteen ounces, twenty-two inches long. But he was healthy, and that was all anybody really cared about. It was then, while she had four or five turns holding Kiefer, that she truly realized how badly she wanted to have her babies. And it wasn't just because she hated being pregnant, it was that she wanted to have her own little people to love, her flesh and blood. And the best part was that they were Nick's babies too. Sara felt so special, so privileged, that she was the one carrying their triplets, nourishing them, protecting them. Nick noticed that she'd been happier ever since they'd found out she was pregnant. Her skin almost had a glow to it, too. She was positively radiant. Nick couldn't wait until she started to show. He thought that pregnant women were the most beautiful women ever.

Finally, Sara let out a big yawn. "I'm tired," she said. "All of a sudden, I feel like I'm going to topple over."

Stephanie spoke up, "I felt like that while I was pregnant too. Sometimes you have random bursts of energy, and other times you feel as though you'll fall asleep on the spot."

Sara nodded and said energetically, "That's exactly how I feel!"

Nick, Ryan, Magnus and Bill exchanged a glance. They could sense some girl talk coming on, so they excused themselves and went to go hang out in the hallway while the ladies of the Stokes clan began chatting up a storm.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, I think that's the last Texas chapter. I don't know yet. _Maybe_ one more. Let me know if you think they should stick around a bit longer or go back to Vegas! 


	37. The Surprise

Author's Note: Wow. Even after I was gone for a while, I still got more reviews than I thought I would! I thought y'all might have forgotten about it, so I was very glad to see that some of you took the time to review. With that said…

To **heartagram**: Okay. Thanks for reviewing.

To **MollyMKS**: Nicky sweetness! I love Nick. I put more of Nick as really sweet in this chapter (well, _I_ think it's really sweet). Thanks for reviewing!

To **Allie**: I promised nothing bad would happen. Haha, the Crime Lab relocating to Texas…that would be fun, although I personally like Vegas better. It's where all the weirdos come out to play…Thanks for reviewing!

To **CSI-wanna-be23**: Yee haw is right! Thanks so much!

To **olivia wall**: I already talked to you.

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI, although I did just get Season One recently! Owning the DVDs is as close as I'll ever get to owning the show. Or George.

* * *

Nick and Sara had arrived back from Texas a month and a half ago, after having stayed there for three weeks. Sara had spent a lot of time with Stephanie and Kiefer, Michele, and naturally, Nick. Michele and Sara had grown very close to each other, and their main areas of conversation included telling embarrassing stories about Nick and complaining about how much they hated being pregnant. Sara, now sixteen weeks along, was already showing as though she were six months pregnant. After all, three babies took up a lot more room than one. Nick loved Sara's baby bump, and found her extraordinarily beautiful. He would often come up behind Sara and wrap his arms around her, rubbing her growing belly lovingly while peppering her neck with tender kisses. Her hair was getting silkier and her fingernails were growing faster. She was also increasingly hungry, and you'd almost always find her munching on something like a banana. She'd had several doctor's appointments to monitor the babies. The triplets were healthy, as far as they could tell, and Nick and Sara couldn't be happier. They were both dying to have the babies, to meet the little people they'd created together.

It was the middle of shift at the lab, and the entire team were bored out of their minds. Apparently, nobody felt like committing murder or turning tricks.

Warrick walked into the locker room and groaned as he caught Nick and Sara making out. "Get a room, you guys," he said.

They jumped apart, surprised. "Oh, hey Warrick," Sara said, her face turning red with embarrassment.

"We were bored," Nick tried to explain.

Warrick smirked. "Yeah, whatever. Save it for home."

Changing the subject, Nick said, "Slow shift, huh?"

"Yeah," Warrick said. "Not even a damn B&E."

Just then, Grissom poked his head into the room. "Guys, we just got a call. Massive crime scene downtown. A bomb's been detonated in a business building. Five dead, twelve injured, two missing. It's going to be a long night. Sara, I know I've kept you here lately, but we really need all the help we can get tonight. Are you up for field work?" he asked.

"Definitely," she said, glad she was finally getting off of desk duty, pushing paper. She had been itching to get out into the field.

"We'll probably all be pulling a triple," Grissom warned. "I suggest you get your caffeine now."

Nick looked at his wife in pity, knowing she couldn't have any. Reading his thoughts, Sara said, "It's okay. I'll manage."

Grissom picked up on it, and said, "Sara, we'll take you out in the field, but if you need to sleep, you can go."

"Thanks," Sara said, "but I think I'll be okay."

He nodded and left. Sara opened up her locker, reached in and grabbed her kit. "Bring it on," she said. She was so stoked.

* * *

Nick carried a sleeping Sara through the front door of their house. He laid her down gently on the bed. He felt so bad for her. They'd been at the scene for twenty hours. While everybody else was practically high on the stuff, Sara had managed to get through without any caffeine. It was amazing, considering she was always tired from the three troublemakers growing inside her anyway. Nick had no idea how she did it. He knew he wouldn't be able to. He sat down on the edge of the bed right next to her and brushed her soft hair off her face. His finger traced her features lightly, and he watched her sleep. He wondered if she knew how beautiful she was.

"You're so pretty," he whispered, as he rubbed her enlarged belly softly with his hand. He leaned down and kissed her temple, and stroked her stomach once more. He got up and walked around to his side of the bed, stripping down to his boxers as he went. Climbing into bed, he slung one arm around her sleeping figure and fell almost instantly into a deep sleep.

* * *

**_Doctor's Office – Five Days Later _**

Sara sat in her gown on the examination table. As always, Dr. Holmes knocked on the door and called, "Decent?" before coming in. Sara still couldn't figure out why it mattered.

"Come in," Sara called back.

Dr. Holmes entered, carrying a clipboard. "Hi Sara," she said.

"Hi, Dr. Holmes," Sara replied.

"How've you been feeling lately?" she asked.

"Exhausted," Sara said.

Dr. Holmes laughed. "I expected that," she said. "Other than that, are you okay?"

"Never better," Sara replied honestly.

"That's good to hear," Dr. Holmes replied. "So, if you want to, I can tell whether your babies are boys or girls now."

Sara said, "Well, Nick and I kind of decided that we'd like to be surprised."

Dr. Holmes narrowed her gaze for a second with a slight smile on her face and said, "You're dying to know, aren't you?"

The words had barely left her mouth when Sara said, "Yes!"

The blonde laughed. "One second, I just have to set this up. Could I get you to lean back for me?"

Sara obeyed and lay back on the table with her head supported by a pillow. Dr. Holmes covered her belly in gel and placed the scanner on her. She moved the wand around for a few seconds before smiling and saying, "Okay, I know what Baby A is. Do you want to know?"

Sara nodded her head eagerly.

"It's a boy," she said. Sara was so excited. She was going to have a boy! Her very own son! Well, she and Nick would have to share him, but they could work around that. It was then that she remembered that there were two others inside.

"What about the others?" Sara asked.

"Just looking now," Dr. Holmes said. "Baby B is…looks like a girl, but I can't be sure."

"What do you mean, you can't be sure?" Sara asked, a bit confused.

"Well, sometimes it can be different to differentiate between the sexes. Boys can look like girls, girls can look like boys, they can look like neither, that sort of thing," she explained.

Sara laughed, remembering the story Michele had told her about Nick's first sonogram. "But you're pretty sure it's a girl?" Sara asked.

"Most likely," she answered. "Now, the third one is…looks like you have another girl."

Sara squealed excitedly. "Yay!" she shrieked.

Dr. Holmes laughed. "There is one other thing, though." Sara's face fell. Dr. Holmes noticed, and she quickly reassured, "Oh, no, nothing bad. I just noticed that you'll have to have a C-section. Only one of the babies is in the right position. That's Baby B. But Baby C is right side up and Baby A is sideways. Don't worry; they're not in any danger. But you won't be able to give a vaginal birth."

Sara was relieved that they weren't in any danger.

Dr. Holmes continued, "And like I said, they'll more likely than not be premature. I'm going to put you on bed rest in two months until you give birth, which will probably be another two months after that."

Sara groaned. She didn't want to miss that much work. She loved her job so much. Reading her mind, Dr. Holmes said, "And don't even think about going to work. Bed rest means bed rest. And it'll still be two months until then. Enjoy yourself now."

"Fine," Sara pouted jokingly.

Dr. Holmes laughed. "You remind me of my teenager. Oh, by the way, how's that morning sickness coming?"

"Pretty much gone by now," Sara said. "Sometimes strong smells will set me off or something like that, but it's a lot better. The crackers were a really good suggestion too."

"That's good to hear," she said. "Alright, I want you to come back in about six or seven weeks for another appointment, okay?"

Sara agreed and the two women bade each other goodbye. Dr. Holmes left the room, leaving Sara to redress. Sara couldn't wait to get back home, although she wasn't sure whether to tell Nick the babies' sexes, or that she'd even found them out.

* * *

When Sara got home, she found Nick making dinner. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

He turned his head and smiled. "Hey, gorgeous. How was your appointment?"

She released him and he turned around to face her. "It was good. Nick, let me ask you a question." Nick raised an eyebrow curiously. "Do you want boys or girls?"

He looked up for a moment as though thinking. "Definitely a girl. I don't really know if I want boys, but I definitely want a girl. Don't get me wrong, I'd be ecstatic to have a son, but I especially want a girl. Why? What do you want?"

"I want a girl," she said quietly. "If I told you I found out today what they are, would you want me to tell you?"

He gaped, "You found out? I thought we decided to be surprised!"

"Well, I think I have the right to check, considering I'll be the one doing all the work."

"Yeah, sure. I'm not angry, just…didn't think you were going to find out, that's all," he explained.

"So…? Do you want to know?" she asked.

He thought good and hard for a minute. Finally, he said, "Sure."

"Are you really sure?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm sure!" he said.

"Really really sure?" she said again.

"YES! Geez, Sara, just tell me, please!"

"Mmm…I don't think so. I think I might need a little encouragement first…" she said, kissing his neck and leaving no room for interpretation about her intentions.

"Oh, come on, Sara…Just tell me!" he whined.

"On second thought, 'encouragement' is what got me into this mess…maybe there should just be no more 'encouragement' for as long as we live," she teased, taking a step back and turning to head upstairs.

That sounded even worse to Nick. "NO! Tell me!" he pleaded.

Sara was really enjoying this by now, and she looked back over her shoulder. "I'll tell you one of them…"

"I'll take what I can get," Nick said.

"One of them is a boy."

"Really? I'm going to have a son? I'm going to have a son!" he said. A grin the size of Rhode Island spread across his face. He was ecstatic. "A son!" he said again. He could hardly get over it. "You're giving me a son?" he asked.

Sara was thoroughly enjoying the display. "Well, technically, you're the one giving me a son, because it's the male that determines the sex."

He waved his hand in a carefree manner. "Whatever. Doesn't matter. Stop being technical. You're giving me a son!"

He was just like a kid on Easter, Christmas, the last day of school, and his birthday combined, Sara thought. Imagine how he would feel when he found out they were having two girls!

"So, we have to pick out three boys' names and two girls' names," she said. "I'm still not telling you what the other two are."

He pouted. "Not fair!"

"You did this to me, it's fair. I'll tell you later." She went over to the bookshelf and pulled down a baby name book they'd bought and a book that Catherine had lent them. "Sit down, Stokes, we're picking these today."

He sat down on the floor of the living room, carrying the vegetarian enchiladas he'd just made with him and handing one to Sara. She tossed him one of the books and a notepad and they cracked them open, intent on naming their babies today.

* * *

Author's Note: Like it? Love it? Detest it? Want to start your computer on fire? Well, if you feel any of these things, that review function is the place for you! 


	38. The Visitor

Author's Note: Have I mentioned that you guys rock? Well, in case I didn't, there. I said it. You rock. All of you.

To **JJ**: Glad you liked it, and thanks for reviewing.

To **MollyMKS**: Yeah, hell has totally frozen over if Sara can't work! Nick is back to being his sweet old self. Gotta love him. Thanks for reviewing!

To **heartagram**: Why, thank ya, darling. Thanks for reviewing!

To **jd**: Whoa, suggestion central! Perhaps I shall use a few of those…Thanks for reviewing!

To **norma**: Knowing him, he probably will. Haha. Thanks for reviewing!

To **CSI-wanna-be23**: Ooh, now I've got you interested…haha. Thanks for reviewing!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Nick is mine, but he's not mine. Kapiche?

* * *

"So, these are all the names I've found that I like," Nick said, holding up his notepad and reading off of it. "Anthony, Daniel, Brent, Jordan, Caleb, and George."

"Those are all boys' names. We might be having girls too. And who would want to name their son George?" Sara asked.

"I like that name," Nick defended. "It's a strong name, and I don't see anything wrong with it."

"Whatever," Sara said, going back to her own list.

A look of realization crossed his face. "We might be having girls too? Are you hinting at something, Sar?"

She looked up, knowing he'd caught her. "Maybe," she said, as her cheeks reddened.

Nick immediately flipped to the girls' section of his book and started picking through. "Well, we've already thought about the name Ciara, right?"

"We're still thinking about it? I thought we'd decided for sure," Sara said.

"Oh, well, yeah, that's what I meant. Should that be her first name or middle name?" he asked.

"I don't know, let's see what else we can find and then decide which way it fits better," she suggested.

He pointed the pen at her. "Good thinking. You're the brains of this operation."

"I could have told you that," she joked, looking back down at her book. "I like the name Anthony too. How about that?"

"Sure," he said. "Now what should it be for the middle name?"

"How about Nicholas?" she asked.

He looked up hopefully. "Really?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah, really," she said.

"Anthony Nicholas Stokes," he said, trying it out. "I like that a lot."

"Me too," she said. "So, Anthony Nicholas Stokes?"

"Anthony Nicholas Stokes," he confirmed.

Sara wrote it down in her notebook and underlined it. "We still need two boys' names and two girls' names," she said.

"You know, this would be a lot easier if you just told me what they are," Nick pointed out.

"What and miss out on name-hunting time with you?" she teased. "Come on, let's choose a girl's name next."

"Okay, so Ciara for sure," Nick said. "How about Sara for a middle name?"

"No, definitely not," Sara said without hesitating. "Ciara Sara? How awful is that?"

He laughed a bit. "I guess you're right," he admitted. "What's your middle name again? Elizabeth?"

She nodded. "But 'Ciara Elizabeth' doesn't exactly roll off the tongue," she said. "The vowels don't work. It doesn't work in my name either, but whatever. I didn't name me."

"I know one of the boys' names we've picked already has my name in it, but we could use another one of my family names," Nick suggested.

"Shoot," Sara said.

"Ciara Michele," he proposed.

"Ooh! I like that!" Sara squealed. Nick looked awfully pleased with himself as Sara wrote down the name in her notebook. "So, we have Anthony Nicholas and Ciara Michele. Two down, two to go."

"Only two?" Nick asked, catching on to something. "So…Ciara Michele is one we're actually going to use? I'm getting a daughter?"

Sara turned red, knowing she'd been caught. "Yes," she gave in.

"Really?" Nick asked, a grin spreading across his face that rivalled the Grand Canyon. "I'm getting my own little girl? Really?"

Sara laughed, sensing a repeat of when he'd found out they were having a boy. "Yes, Nick. Now calm down before you hyperventilate."

"Too late," Nick said. He was grinning like a blithering idiot, and probably could have died of happiness right then and there. "I'm getting a daughter! My very own little girl! Oh, Michele will just go crazy when she hears this. I'm going to be the best daddy ever! I'm going to teach her to swim, and teach her to play chess, and help her with her homework, and-"

"Nick, stop!" Sara cut him off, laughing by now. "I know you'll be a great dad. But just remember that she's not the only one, okay?"

"I have no idea how I'm going to not die of happiness," Nick admitted. "I'm gonna get three kids all in one day!"

"Boy, you are hyper," Sara said.

"Please, please, _please_ tell me what the other one is? _PLEASE_?" he begged.

"You're such a kid," she said. "Fine! Alright! Dr. Holmes isn't sure, but she thinks it's a girl."

Nick was quiet for a minute as he gazed down at Sara's stomach. For the first time in an hour, he had nothing to say. Finally, when he looked up, he had tears in his eyes. "I don't think I've ever been happier in my life," he said. "I just can't believe we're doing this."

Sara was overcome with a mixture of anxiety, joy, fear, and hope. "Nick…are we ready for this?"

He looked at her for a second. Reaching out and taking her hand, he said, "If they're half you and half me, we have nothing to worry about."

She smiled at him and he touched her face softly. He leaned in and placed a soft, loving kiss on her lips. She returned it, and they traded slow, lazy kisses for a while until the doorbell rang. Between kisses, Nick mumbled out, "That'll be…Warrick…I invited him…over for…a barbeque…I forgot to…tell you…sorry…" Every few of his words were interrupted by a kiss. Finally, he managed to stand up and walk to the door. Sara stayed sitting on the floor, gathering up their notepads and books. Nick came back into the room with Warrick in tow. Sara tried to get up, but fell backwards down onto the floor.

"Damn! Why do I have to be so fat?" Sara whined. Warrick came over to her and offered his hand to her.

"You're not fat, you're pregnant," he said. "It's not the same thing," he reassured.

"Either way, I still can't get up on my own," Sara grumbled as she took his hand and allowed him to pull her up.

With an exaggerated "Oof!" he pulled her up.

"Oh, thanks a lot, Warrick," she said sarcastically. "Whatever happened to 'You're not fat, you're pregnant'?"

"I stand by what I said," he defended. "You're not fat, you're pregnant."

"Now I remember why I missed you so much when we were in Texas," she joked.

"Hey, um, I'm going to get those burgers on the grill. You want a veggie burger, Sara?"

"Yes, please," she said.

He nodded and reached into the freezer, pulling out some patties and getting a veggie burger ready. He took them outside and put them on a grill, but not before grabbing an old, beat-up apron that said, "Don't mess with Texas" on the front of it.

She groaned when she saw the apron. "Do you own _anything_ that isn't Texas-related?"

"Not a thing," he replied, flashing her his heart-stopping smile as he stepped outside and closed the sliding door.

Sara turned to Warrick. "I hate that apron," she explained.

"I could tell," he said. "So, how are you?"

"I'm just exhausted all the time lately," she said. "Holding up, though."

"Wow. I have no idea how you'd do that. I probably couldn't," Warrick said, impressed.

"Which is why men can't get pregnant," Sara jabbed.

"Thank God for that," he said.

"You want to go outside?" she asked, pointing through the window at a patio set on the deck.

"Sure," he said.

They went outside and sat down at the patio set and the three talked while Nick cooked. During a lull in the conversation, Sara leaned her head back and said, "Oh, what I wouldn't give for a good stiff drink right now."

"I know a really good recipe for a drink. Normally, it has alcohol in it, but it still tastes amazing without it," Warrick piped up. "And it's really easy to make, too. I bet you have the stuff lying around in your kitchen."

"Are you offering?" Sara asked hopefully.

"Sure," Warrick said. "Just give me access to your kitchen."

"Our house is your house," Sara said, gesturing towards the kitchen with her hand. He stood up and entered the house.

About five minutes later, he came back out with three colourful drinks in hand. "I was right," he said. "You did have all the stuff." He handed one to Sara and one to Nick, raising his own glass. "Cheers," he said, as he knocked it back. They followed suit and Sara looked at her empty glass in wonderment.

"You're right, that _is_ amazing!" she exclaimed.

He laughed. "Told you."

"Okay, burgers are ready," Nick said, as he carried over the plate with the patties on them. Sara reached over and took her veggie burger, and Warrick grabbed the one closest him as well. They prepared them the way they liked them, Nick's with only mustard, Warrick's with ketchup, mustard, relish, Dijon, pickles, onions, barbeque sauce, and Cheez Whiz, and Sara's with mustard, relish, onions, and Dijon.

"Do you think you can fit anything else on there, Warrick?" Nick teased.

"Come to think of it, do you have any mayonnaise?"

"Ummm…yeah…Sara, did you get some?" Nick asked. She'd set the table.

She surveyed the table for a minute, and when she found her efforts to be fruitless, she said, "I could have sworn I put some around here somewhere…"

"Never mind, I'll go check the kitchen," Nick said, quickly getting up and returning seconds later with the mayonnaise in hand. "Found it."

"That's odd…I've never forgotten mayonnaise before, and neither of us even use it," Sara said absentmindedly.

"Don't worry about it," Warrick said. He squirted some from the squeeze bottle onto his burger, closed it up and took a big bite.

They ate until they were finished, then stayed talking where they were until the sun had long since gone down, and while the conversation remained merry, Sara was somewhat disconcerted that she'd forgotten such a simple thing…

* * *

Author's Note: Alrighty then, there you have it. I still have yet to reveal the other names, but if you review, I might be tempted to update sooner. 


	39. The Beginning

Author's Note: Oh my gosh! We are getting so close to 500 reviews! I never even believed that I was going to get a quarter of that! Frankly, I didn't even think the story was going to get this far. I thought I wasn't going to get a single review and nobody would be interested in it. With that said, thank you so much to everybody who sticks around and makes those review numbers go up! I'm really sorry for not updating for so long. Unforeseen circumstances prevented that, but I promise I will try to update more frequently from now on. This chapter is dedicated to **bauerfreak**, for all the help and encouragement. I really could not have gotten this far without you. I salute you!

To **heartagram**: I'm glad you like them. Thanks for reviewing!

To **MollyMKS**: I actually love the name George. (And contrary to popular belief, it's not just because of George Eads.) I am so looking forward to writing about Nick with a daughter…or two…Thanks for reviewing!

To **CSI-wanna-be23**: Yeah, you figured it out! Pregnancy brain! Pregnant women seem to be so scatterbrained. It greatly amuses me. Thanks for reviewing!

To **jd**: Ooh, you read my mind! And my story. For which I thank you!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Let me see if I still have that 'proof of ownership' certificate lying around somewhere…nope.

* * *

"We've decided on names," Sara said to Dr. Holmes at her next appointment, two weeks before Sara's due date. Nick sat down on the now familiar chair next to the examination table. 

"Oh, really?" she said curiously. "Do tell."

"Well, we're naming the boy Anthony Nicholas," she said.

"And one of the girls Ciara Michele," Nick said.

"And the last girl we're naming Brooke Elizabeth," Sara finished.

"Those are all beautiful names," Dr. Holmes said honestly. "So, how've you been feeling lately?" she asked both of them.

"Nervous," they answered in unison.

"I've been really scatterbrained lately," Sara said. "I forget the simplest things. Last week, we were processing a scene, and I almost forgot to put gloves on until a coworker reminded me. I forgot my car keys once and spent ten minutes sitting in the car trying to figure out what I'd forgotten. You know, that sort of thing."

"Pregnancy brain," Dr. Holmes said,smiling knowingly. "How about you, Nick?" She'd always been very good at including Nick whenever he came along.

"Eager, but really nervous. I'm excited that we're going to be parents so soon!"

"I know the feeling," she said. "You've been taking prenatal classes, right?"

Nick and Sara nodded in unison.

"And how are those coming along?"

"They're going well," Nick said.

"That's good," Dr. Holmes said. "Well, do you want to see your babies again?" she asked, holding up the ultrasound scanner.

"Of course," Nick said. He'd only seen them once before, a few weeks ago.

Sara rolled up the front of her gown and allowed the blonde to rub gel over her enormous belly. Dr. Holmes placed the scanner just above her bellybutton and started searching around. "Okay, here's Baby A again. That's a boy." Nick and Sara gazed in silent wonderment at the little life before them on the screen. Nick could feel his eyes welling up, and he willed himself not to cry. Dr. Holmes moved the scanner over to another spot and found a second heartbeat. "And, here's Baby B, a g-…wait…" She readjusted the scanner and squinted her eyes at the monitor. "Baby B isn't a girl, it's a boy!"

"A boy?" Nick exclaimed. He wasn't in the least disappointed, just surprised.

"Like father, like son," Sara teased, referring to Nick's sonogram incident. He smirked at her. She turned her attention back to the monitor when she felt the scanner being moved around again.

"And…Baby C is a girl for sure," Dr. Holmes said finally.

Nick let out a sigh of relief. He was still getting his baby girl.

* * *

"So, we have to pick out a boy's name," Sara said on the way home. 

"Yeah…I don't really have any ideas. How about you?" he asked.

She stared straight forward, not answering, and just when he was thinking that maybe she didn't hear him, she said, "Do you like Logan?"

"Yeah, I do. I like it a lot, actually. And you know what else I like for a middle name?"

"What?" she asked.

"Tyler."

"Logan Tyler," she tried out. "I like that. How about that for our other boy?"

"Sounds good to me," he said. "So, Ciara Michele, Logan Tyler, and Anthony Nicholas?"

"Mmhmm," she said. They spent the rest of the short drive home talking about how excited they were, as had been their main topic of conversation lately.

"I'm actually kind of glad that we're only having one girl," Nick confessed.

"Why's that?" Sara asked.

He shrugged. "I don't really know…it's something I can't really explain. I just love little girls. I always wished, growing up, that I had a little sister. I never found myself wishing for a little brother. Don't get me wrong; I liked hanging out with boys too. But I find that it can be a lot more…I don't know…_special_ if there's only one. I think I'll end up treating Ciara much differently than I will Logan and Anthony," he said, already using their names. "Not worse," he quickly added. "Just differently."

She nodded. "I can understand that. Oh boy, it'll be fun dealing with two boys, won't it?"

"Oh yeah, looking forward to that," he said sarcastically. "We'll have two Tasmanian devils on our hands."

"Mmhmm," she said, nodding. "But we'll love them to pieces," she said.

"Of course," Nick agreed, as he reached over the centre console and took her hand gently, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. They spent the next few minutes in comfortable silence, until Sara gasped.

"What's the matter?" Nick asked, suddenly worried. Her face was contorted in pain.

"I…I think I'm having a contraction!" she said.

"Already? But it's two weeks before you're due! And even then, they're premature!"

"I know, I know!" Sara managed to gasp out. Nick didn't know what to do as he watched his wife suffer through it for about thirty seconds. Suddenly her face relaxed, and her breathing returned to normal. "Okay, I think it stopped."

"Are you in labour?" he asked. He was a bit oblivious as to the mechanics of childbirth, despite having thirty-five nieces and nephews.

"I don't think so," she said. "Contractions don't always mean labour's starting," she explained. She'd already had several mild contractions throughout the pregnancy, as was normal, but Nick actually hadn't been around for any of them.

"Oh," he said, almost as though he already knew that. Sara began to rethink her statement when, eight minutes later, another contraction set on. "Sara, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she assured, as she concentrated on getting through the pain.

They arrived home just after her contraction ended, and she went to lie down on the couch. She needed a nap, and badly. Nick sat on the end of the couch and propped her feet up on his lap. He rubbed her feet gently, but just as she was about to fall asleep, he could feel her tense up as another contraction started.

"Sara, do you need to go to the hospital?" Nick asked, now genuinely worried that she might be in labour.

"No, no," she said through her pain.

He was doubtful and eyed her skeptically. She was so stubborn. "Are you _sure_?"

She reconsidered. "Alright, fine."

He helped her up and out to the car, and drove her to the hospital. They were quickly escorted to a room and Sara was told to change into an all-too familiar gown, and Dr. Holmes met them there fifteen minutes later.

"Hi, Sara, hi, Nick," she said as she entered. "How're you feeling?"

Sara answered, "I'm having contractions that are about seven or eight minutes apart."

"Do you think you're in labour?"

"I don't know," she said.

"Alright, I'm going to check to see how much you're dilated, and if you're dilated at all, then you're in labour and these babies are coming out today."

"Okay," Sara said nervously, as Dr. Holmes checked the degree of dilation.

"You're one centimetre dilated," she announced a minute later. "You're having these babies today."

Sara took a deep breath as she prepared herself for what was coming next.

She was going to be a mom.

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, a slight cliffie there. My apologies for that. Review! 


	40. The Birth

Author's Note: Am I the only person who was devastated by the finale? I sure hope not. I actually cried when I saw Grissom and Sara together. It's going to be so hard for me to write this now, because I have GSR running around in my head (not inspiration, just the notion of it is taking over all my thoughts – quite literally). I'm not so mad that Sara's not with Nick as I am that she is with Grissom. Did that make sense? I mean, Sandle is better than GSR. Lemonjelly even. To be honest, I don't mind Season One Grissom with Sara, but after that, it gets a bit weird. I guess the part that makes me the angriest is that he kept rejecting her, and then all of a sudden, he wants her, and what just about makes me sick is that she still wants him! It's disgusting! So, I actually sent a comment to CBS regarding the GSR thing. I'd encourage all of you to do it. Go to the CBS website (you can actually type ladyheather(dot)com and it'll direct you right there – how cool is that?) and click "Feedback" at the very bottom. Make sure you specify that you're commenting on CSI. Let's start a revolt! Down with GSR!

Anyway, the story. I am a little unclear on the regular labour and delivery procedures and stuff, so I'm pretty much just making this stuff up. And I know that babies this premature probably wouldn't be this healthy, but I really don't feel like writing any angst. Bear with me, if you will. Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed so far. Let's see if we can break 500 reviews on this chapter! I think the end is near for this story. Probably about two or three more chapters, but I really can't say for sure. Thank you so much to everybody who's stuck around. I owe you so much and I can never tell you how thankful I am.

To **MollyMKS**: Nick cuteness is the best, I'll agree. Thank you for reviewing!

To **heartagram**: It will, I promise. Just keep reading. Thanks for reviewing!

To **jd**: Of course Nick will be there for her! Because he's awesome. I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!

To **CSI-wanna-be23**: You reviewed twice! Cool! Everybody will be okay, I promise. That sounds like a great song. I did read the lyrics but I couldn't manage to download it. I'll consider using it, maybe in the last chapter. Thank you for your suggestion and review!

To **Allie**: Hey, no worries about disappearing for a while. I can understand. I disappeared for a while too. I'm just glad you're back! Sorry about the cliffie. Oh well. It's kind of fun to see you all suffer for a while! (Sorry, that was really cruel.) Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

To **Cheryl**: I'm really glad to hear it! It's always nice to get reviews from new reviewers. Thank you so much!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, you can bet that I'd be Dead Body Number Two every other week.

* * *

Dr. Holmes kept checking periodically to see how far Sara was dilated. Eventually, she announced, "Okay, you're ten centimetres dilated. When the next contraction comes along, you're going to have to push, okay?"

Sara nodded nervously. Then, in a panic, she remembered something. "Wait! Didn't you say that only one of the babies is in the right position?"

"Yes, but that one is in the right spot to come out now. Is that okay?"

She nodded again, and looked up nervously at Nick, who was standing at her side, holding her hand. Suddenly, Nick could tell it was time when Sara squeezed her eyes shut in pain.

"And one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!" Dr. Holmes counted as Sara pushed with all her might. The contraction ended and Sara relaxed. It was only then that Nick noticed that she had had a death grip on his hand. He didn't really care, though. She was going through labour; he could handle having his hand crushed.

A few rounds of pushing later, Nick leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "You're doing great, sweetie," he said soothingly, brushing the sweat-soaked hair off her face and stroking her hand gently.

Again, another contraction came on and Sara started pushing as Dr. Holmes counted. This time, Nick joined in (the counting, not the pushing). Finally, Dr. Holmes announced, "I can see a head!" Nick resisted the urge to look. As much as he wanted to see his baby, he wanted to stay by his wife more. "Just one more push and it'll be out," Dr. Holmes said encouragingly.

Sara pushed as hard as she could, and finally, Dr. Holmes leaned up with a baby in her arms. "It's a boy!" she exclaimed. Sara slumped back down into the bed and leaned her head back, exhausted. Nick couldn't resist any longer and he quickly went to the end of the bed. A nurse handed Nick a pair of surgical scissors and Dr. Holmes said, "Would you care to do the honours?"

"Huh?"

"Cut the umbilical cord?" Dr. Holmes explained.

"Won't that hurt them?" Nick asked. He didn't really know how that was supposed to work.

"No, it won't," she assured. Nick hesitantly placed the scissors on the umbilical cord, and snipped.

The nurse quickly took the baby and started cleaning him up. She placed him on the scale and said, "He weighs six pounds, one ounce and is seventeen inches long, a squirt, but he's okay."

Sara's contractions seemed to have stopped for the time being and she watched as the nurse handed their boy to Nick. His face instantly lit up as soon as the tiny child was in his arms. "Hey, little guy," he said in baby talk. "I'm your daddy." Sara noticed that he was a total natural on how to hold babies. Turning to Sara, Nick asked, "So is this Logan or Anthony?"

"Come here and let me see," Sara said. Nick had completely forgotten to bring the little baby over.

"Oh, right! Sorry," he said, shuffling over to her bedside, expertly handing him over to Sara. The instant Sara saw him, she fell in love with him and decided that she would give her life for him if she had to.

"That's definitely Logan," she said.

"I agree," Nick replied. "Logan Tyler Stokes."

"Nick, quick, take him," Sara said urgently. He didn't argue but was puzzled for a moment, until he saw Sara throw her head back in pain as another contraction began.

Dr. Holmes called to the nurse, "Get her prepped for a C-section, stat!" (Author's Note: I don't know if that's what they would say, but I always wanted to say it!)

The people bustling around her quickly prepared her and wheeled her gurney into an operating room, and they shooed Nick out. She didn't want him to go, and she held on to his hand for as long as she could. A nurse outside saw him and took him to scrub up so he could come inside. As the local anaesthetic they'd placed on her belly kicked in, she could hear the metal tools working quickly. She was scared, but she knew she was in good hands.

Nick came back wearing scrubs and a mask, and smelling very strongly of soap. He instantly took his place at Sara's side, taking her hand in both of his. When he saw the blood that was around her, he felt like puking, but for some reason, he didn't. Almost in slow motion, he saw the doctor reach inside Sara and pull out another baby boy, snipping his umbilical cord skilfully.

"Sara! He's out!" Nick said excitedly. Sara smiled contentedly. "He's so shrively," he added, but more in adoration than disgust.

Then the nurse took the boy and cleaned him, weighing him in the process. "He weighs five pounds, fourteen ounces, and is seventeen inches long." She approached Nick with the boy in her arms and handed him gently to him. This time, Nick remembered to show Sara. She stroked his face gently.

"Hey, baby," she said. "I'm your mama. And you're Anthony."

They had almost forgotten that there was still one more baby; they were so enraptured with Anthony. When the doctor called out, "Alright, just one more. You doing okay?" she remembered.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said.

The next few minutes were a complete blur and all Sara could remember afterward was being handed her little girl. Nick didn't even want to hand the baby to her, he was so in love with her, but he did. "She looks just like you, honey," he said to Sara as he transferred the little girl over to her.

Sara took her with a look of complete happiness. She finally had her little girl. Not that she didn't want the boys, she did. It's just that she especially wanted a girl. The doctors started cleaning Sara up and stapling closed the incision. When they were finished, Sara was sent back to her room to recuperate. The three babies headed off to the nursery with a doctor. They were all tiny, but they were supposed to be okay.

Sara fell asleep right away. Nick stood next to her bed and watched her sleep. She looked exhausted. He wasn't exactly blaming her, though. She'd just brought three babies into the world. Who could blame her for being tired? Besides, nothing she could do could make Nick think she was any less beautiful. He sat down on a chair and took her hand gently, stroking it gently. Nick was torn between staying with her and going to see their babies in the nursery. He finally decided to go to the nursery. "For five minutes only," he told himself. Sara woke up just as he was leaving.

"Hey," she said. "Where are you going?"

"I was going to go to the nursery, but if you want me to stay here, I will."

"Well, I want to go to the nursery too. Let me call the nurse." She pressed the call button and a nurse came a few moments later. Sara explained that she wanted to go see her babies, and the nurse fetched a wheelchair, helping her to get in.

Nick wheeled her through the halls and they eventually arrived at the large glass wall. They found their two boys in the second row, dressed in blue, and Ciara between them dressed in pink. Sara and Nick watched in a wonderful silence as they watched their babies sleep, each knowing what the other was thinking. Nick rubbed her shoulder gently and she brought her hand up to cover his. The soft touch between them was so loving, so gentle, so perfect. Their children cemented the love between them (not that they had any doubts in the first place).

"It must be so tiring," Nick whispered softly.

"What?" Sara asked quietly.

"Being born."

Sara tilted her head to the side, considering. "Yeah…"

"I love you," Nick said, as he kissed her on the top of her head. "I'm so proud of you." She squeezed his hand, saying the same thing silently to him. They stayed in silence for a long time, until the attending nursery nurse (Author's Note: Sorry if that sounds funny.) came out and asked them if they'd like to come in. Of course, they eagerly agreed, and Nick wheeled Sara into the enclosed room on the side of the nursery.

The nurse entered the nursery and picked up one of the boys. She re-entered and handed him to Sara. "This is Anthony," she said. "And just one second." She went back into the nursery and picked up Ciara. Handing her to Nick, she said, "She's beautiful."

"Thank you," said Nick. At that moment, Ciara woke up and looked up at Nick with her big blue eyes. Nick's heart melted at the sight. She blinked a few times and Nick stroked her cheek softly. Ciara squirmed and tried to suck at Nick's fingers.

"She must be hungry," Roberta, the nurse, said. Turning to Sara, she said, "Would you like to try breastfeeding or use a formula?"

"I'll try breastfeeding," Sara said. She handed Anthony to Roberta and took Ciara from Nick. Poor guy. He looked like he never wanted to put her down, and after only a few minutes of holding her, he had to give her up! It just wasn't fair. It was times like these (not that he'd had many) that Nick wished he could breastfeed just so he would never have to let Ciara go. Sara shrugged the gown off her shoulder and guided the baby to latch on, which she had to try a few times to do before success. But, as surely as summer follows the spring, she was eventually successful and Nick watched as his wife fed their daughter for the first time. He couldn't really explain the emotion the sight invoked in him. He was so proud that he had a girl, and happy, and nervous. This was for real, he told himself. Nick was a father to these three little people. They would look up to him, and follow his example, and fight with him, and laugh with him, and cry with him, and love him, and he would love them back with all his heart and more.

Nick was a daddy.

* * *

Author's Note: So, I know the Author's Note at the beginning was _REALLY_ long, and I apologize. But I felt it needed to be said. But review! Please! 


	41. The Seven Amigos

Author's Note: Haha. Somebody actually asked me what happened to Logan last chapter. Just to clarify, I was thinking he stayed asleep in his weird little crib/tray thing. I guess I just forgot to specify that. My apologies.

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: No, you actually reviewed twice. I can understand why it's your favourite chapter. Who wouldn't love babies? Especially Nick's babies! (Okay, that came out wrong, but I'm leaving it.) I'm sure he wouldn't really care about the hand-crushing while his wife was in labour. I wouldn't. Then again, I wouldn't ever have a wife in labour. I'd _be_ the wife in labour. Preferably George's wife (just kidding). Whatever. Thanks for reviewing!

To **Allie**: Sorry for ruining it for you! Well, it's not a major plot point. (Well, it is major, but what I mean is that it's not a running thing. It's just the last few minutes.) Really sorry! Anyway, I promise that it won't keep me from doing this. If anything, it only fuels me more. Down with GSR! Thanks for your review. I'm so glad you like it!

To **Cheryl**: That's so sweet! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, believe me, that last scene of the finale would have Grissom replaced with Nick and there'd be a serious lack of talk about death. And maybe I'd throw in some Starbucks Blackberry Green Tea Frappuccinos. Those are good.

* * *

Sara lay sleeping on the bed, while Nick was asleep sitting on the chair with his head over on the bed. Somehow, his hand had found its way to hers and they lay there asleep together, until a noise that was starting to become all too familiar filled the room. Ciara was crying again. She cried a lot, but she wasn't fussy. She just cried when she needed something. Sara woke up quickly at the noise, and rubbed Nick's head with her free hand. She couldn't get out of bed, per doctor's orders, so he either had to go take care of Ciara himself or pass her to Sara. 

"Hey, Nick," she whispered. "Wake up." He sat up slowly, blinking his eyes a few times to adjust to the light. It registered on his face that Ciara was crying, and he got up and picked her up. He laid her head near his shoulder, and placed one big, strong hand on her back. He bounced around slightly as he walked around a small section of the room, and the infant quieted down almost instantly. Sara watched jealously as she saw how good he was with kids.

A knock came at the door, and Nick said quietly, but loud enough so whoever it was could hear, "Come in."

The door opened a crack and a hand popped through holding a very familiar, very coveted commodity – a five-pound bag of Blue Hawaiian.

"Come on in, Greg," Nick said, knowing exactly who it was.

The door opened the rest of the way, and they were able to see that it was not only Greg, but Mia, Catherine, Warrick, and Grissom, all there to see the Stokes.

"Hi, guys," Sara said.

Nick still held Ciara in his arms, but gratefully took the bag of Blue Hawaiian from Greg. "Thanks," he said.

"Consider it your 'congratulations' present from all of us," Greg said. "We all chipped in. I have to tell you, that stuff doesn't come cheap."

"I know, I know," Nick said. He glanced at Sara and they recited together, "Blue Hawaiian, forty bucks a pound. Only grown a couple of times a year on the Big Island, hand-picked to perfection."

Catherine snorted, trying to suppress a laugh.

"Oh, you can laugh," Greg said. "But we all know you'll enjoy this."

"How right you are, Greggo," Nick said.

Catherine shifted her attention to the baby sleeping in Nick's arms. "Oh, how sweet!" she cooed.

"You want to hold her?" he asked.

"Can I?"

"Sure," he said, transferring Ciara over to Catherine's arms.

"What's her name?" Catherine asked.

Sara said, "Ciara Michele Stokes."

"That's very pretty," Warrick commented. "Who are they?" he asked, pointing over to the other two cribs in the room. Nick went over and picked up Logan and handed him over to Warrick. "This is Logan Tyler…" He went back over to the other crib. "And this…" –he handed the boy to Grissom- "is Anthony Nicholas."

"Those are great names," Mia commented. "Catherine, I get to hold her once you're done."

"I have dibs on Logan!" Greg said, apparently a bit too loudly. The baby in question woke up and started crying.

Warrick glared at him as he tried to calm down Logan. "Shhh…shhh…it's okay…" Eventually, the baby's crying subsided and Warrick, after a few more minutes, reluctantly handed him to Greg. "Don't wake him up," Warrick warned.

Too late. The transfer woke Logan up, but he merely stared up at Greg's face for a few moments. The two seemed caught in their own little staring contest. Logan's big, blue eyes met Greg's Hershey brown ones and everybody else's eyes were on them. Finally, a huge smile spread across Logan's face and he giggled.

"Aww, look, Greg, he thinks you look funny," Warrick said.

"Don't we all," Catherine teased.

Greg gave a pointed stare. "Gee, thanks," he said, but quickly turned his attention back to Logan. He dangled a finger in front of his face and Logan grasped for it. "He's so cute!" Greg said excitedly. Finally, Logan grabbed hold of it, and Greg was officially infatuated with the baby boy.

Catherine gave Ciara to Mia, who held the girl quietly and watched her with rapt attention. At the same time, Grissom gave Anthony back to Sara, thinking she might like to hold her own baby.

There was much baby-swapping for the next few minutes, and suddenly Grissom reached towards his waist.

"Pager," he explained. "I put it on vibrate so I wouldn't wake any of them up, just in case." He glanced at the screen and scowled. "Ecklie," he explained.

They all scowled along with him. Even Anthony squirmed uncomfortably. Grissom pulled out his cell phone and called one balding lab director by the name of Conrad Ecklie. Apparently, Ecklie liked to hear himself talk, because Grissom hardly got a word in edgewise. The CSIs all strained to hear what was going on, but they were unsuccessful. Grissom finally hung up and explained to everybody that they had a few cases to get to and they'd have to cut their visit short.

"I'm sorry, guys," Grissom apologized. "I really wanted to stay a bit longer."

"That's okay," Nick reassured. "We know that you do have jobs that you have to do."

They group said their goodbyes and departed. The room was once again quiet, and Nick and Sara made quiet conversation until a knock came at the door.

"Come in," Sara said. It was Dr. Holmes.

"How've you been feeling?" she asked.

"Awesome," Sara said.

"You're just about ready to be discharged," Dr. Holmes said. "You can likely go home today or tomorrow."

"Sounds good," Sara said. She was eager to get out of there. "Like I said, I'm feeling great, so maybe I'll leave today."

Dr. Holmes nodded and said, "I'll go collect the discharge papers." She stood up and left the room.

Sara had given birth six days ago. The babies, although premature, were very healthy and doing well. They were eating normally and had no health problems. Sara was recovering well from her C-section. The incision wasn't getting infected and the painkillers were doing their job.

Nick sat at the bedside holding Logan. The other two lay asleep in their small cribs nearby. Logan was in that state between asleep and awake, his tiny eyes half-open and his fingers grasping at the air every so often, only to cease movement as his eyes fell shut again. Nick knew that Logan was going to be a sleeper. Lately, Sara had been sleeping a lot too. Nick didn't blame her at all. Come on, she'd brought three babies into the world. Some people might say that six days is plenty of recovery time, but Nick didn't really care what they said. If she was tired, then she should sleep. That's how he saw it. End of story. Besides, even the slightest noise from any of the triplets and she was wide awake. Nick's mother had been like that too, an incredibly light sleeper. He supposed that being a mom might do that to you.

Sara snuck a glance over at Nick. He was so engrossed in Logan, he wouldn't notice. He was so perfect with all three of them. If any of them cried, all Nick had to do was pick them up and they'd instantly quiet down. Sara figured it was because he had big hands, and it comforted them. _What did I ever do to deserve you?_ she silently wondered.

Just then, Logan started trying to suck at Nick's fingers. "Sara, I think he's hungry," Nick said, as he stood up to bring him over to her. She accepted the baby from Nick and began to feed him. Nick shamelessly watched as his wife fed their firstborn. "You're going to be a great mom, Sara," he said quietly.

"I don't know," she confided. "I'm not very good with kids."

"I don't think anyone thinks they're ready to be a parent until they actually have to do it," Nick reassured. "I know Michele really freaked out."

"Nick, I think _you're_ the one who freaked out when Michele was pregnant. She told me you fainted."

Nick's cheeks became flushed and he tried not to smile. Clearing his throat, he asked, "What _hasn't_ Michele told you about me?"

"A bit of stuff. What was your first word?" she asked somewhat randomly.

"Barbeque," he said with a perfectly straight face. She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "I'm serious!" he insisted. "Call my mom and ask if you don't believe me!" The mention of his mom made him remember something. "Shoot! My mom! I was supposed to call her! I can't believe it's been six days and I never told my mother that our babies were born." He quickly ran out into the hallway to use a payphone. Meanwhile, Sara finished feeding Logan and held onto him while she waited for either Nick or Dr. Holmes to come back.

Nick came back a few minutes later with an embarrassed look on his face. "That went over surprisingly well," he said. "She only went off in German for about three minutes. I was expecting five."

"Your mom speaks German?" she asked. "Just how many languages does your family speak, Nick?"

"Mom speaks German, Cisco just speaks English, all of us kids speak Spanish, and on top of that, Stephanie speaks French and so does Michele. Ethan speaks Portuguese, because he spent a couple of years in Brazil, and Silo speaks Italian."

Sara's jaw just about hit the floor. "How on earth did you all learn those languages?"

"In elementary school, over half the kids I knew couldn't even count to ten in English. Lots of them were Mexican immigrants. We all just picked up Spanish over the years. Like I said, Ethan spent a few years in Brazil, so he learned Portuguese; Silo…I don't know. She just sort of decided one day to go learn Italian, and she did. Mom actually is German, and she spoke it growing up. Stephanie and Michele learned French at the all-girls' school they went to for a while, and they kept it up because they liked us not understanding what they were saying. It's kind of funny, because Mom sometimes forgets that none of us speak German, and when she gets mad she goes off in big German spiels."

Sara laughed. "So when is everybody coming up?"

"Mom and Cisco will be here in two days," he said. "As for the rest of them, I don't know."

Just then, Dr. Holmes returned with the discharge papers in her hand. Nick took Logan from Sara, although she would've much preferred to hang onto him. "I'll just need you to sign here," Dr. Holmes said, pointing to a spot on the page and holding out a pen. Sara took the pen and signed her name. "You can get dressed now. If you have any questions, just call me." She got up to leave, and at the door, she turned around and said, "By the way, congratulations."

"Thank you," Nick and Sara said simultaneously, and with that, Dr. Holmes left.

"Well, we're finally going home," Sara said.

* * *

Author's Note: For anyone who cares, my first word was barbeque. I know that update took a long time, and I apologize. I'll try to get back into it. I just have a lot of homework lately. Anyway, a review or two would be greatly appreciated! 


	42. The End

Author's Note: Well, everybody, this is the last chapter. This chapter is basically a short little songfic, and yes, although (in my opinion) songfics are an easy way to write something, this is the best way I can think of to end it. And hence, it is how I'm ending it. If you're really not a fan of sonfics, then it's not important, since nothing really new happens, and last chapter can just be the end for you (it will work out fine). To those of you who either like or don't mind songfics, then…yeah. I must say, this is very possibly the cheesiest chapter known to man, but hey…Here's the next and last chapter! I must say, it's been fun, guys. You have all made my first fic so awesome for me to write, and I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

To those of you who leave anonymous reviews, I'm sad to say that I won't be able to reply to them for this chapter, but y'all need to know that I would if I could.

To **heartagram**: Thank you, darling. I'm glad to hear it. And thanks for reviewing!

To **MollyMKS**: Why, thank you! I think both Nick and George would make great a great dad. I envy people who can speak another language. It's just not fair. I can speak French, but I'm not fluent (although I do speak better than most people). Oh well. Thanks for reviewing!

To **CSI-wanna-be23**: That's the second time somebody's suggested that song, so I'm going to use it.I listened to it, and Ilove it. It's a fantastic song. Thanks for the suggestion and the review!

To **Your Spell-Binding Lover**: I love "all that mushy good stuff", and I'm glad you do too! I, too, adore babies. But I got to hold one yesterday…in your face! I'll be posting more chapters, I'm just not sure whether they'll be super-awesome (which, by the way, I love hearing you think they are). Thank you for reviewing!

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing, but have you ever noticed that whenever you borrow something, you never truly feel like you're ready to give it back? Also, I do not own the song used in this chapter. That belongs to Edwin McCain and Sara Evans (they each did a version of it).

* * *

Sara awoke to a beam of sunshine running across her and Nick lying in bed. She glanced over at her sleeping husband in his sleeping form, and admired his handsome features. It was at that moment that her clock radio went off, but before she turned it off, her ears caught a somewhat familiar tune. She sort of recognized it, but couldn't place it well enough to remember the words. Allowing the song to play instead of shutting it off, she listened to the words carefully, since now it was bugging her, not knowing the lyrics.

_**Lying here with you  
Listening to the rain  
Smiling just to see the smile upon your face  
And these are the moments I thank God that I'm alive  
And these are the moments  
I'll remember all my life  
I found all I've waited for  
And I could not ask for more**_

_**Looking in your eyes  
Seeing all I need  
Everything you are is everything to me**_

Sara heard and felt Nick shuffle around on his side of the bed. "Sorry," Sara said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it's alright. I should probably get up anyway." He began to sit up, but Sara took his arm.

"Just a few more minutes?" she asked, looking deep into his eyes.

He thought for but a second, and, laying back down, said, "Alright."

_**And these are the moments  
I know heaven must exist  
And these are the moments, I know all I need is this  
I have all I've waited for  
Yeah  
And I could not ask for more…**_

_**I could not ask for more than this time together  
I could not ask for more than this time with you  
And every prayer has been answered  
And every dream I've had's come true  
Yeah, right here in this moment, is right where I'm meant to be  
Oh, here with you here with me…  
Ooh, yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah**_

_**And these are the moments I thank God that I'm alive  
And these are the moments I'll remember all my life  
I've got all I've waited for yeah  
And I could not ask for more**_

_**I could not ask for more than this time together  
I could not ask for more than this time with you  
And every prayer has been answered  
And every dream I've had's come true  
Yeah, and right here in this moment is right where I'm meant to be  
Here with you here with me…**_

_**I could not ask for more than the love you give me  
'Cause it's all I've waited for  
And I could not ask for more  
Ooh and I could not ask for more**_

_Yup_, thought Sara. _I'm in love with the most wonderful man on earth, I have three beautiful, healthy children, great friends…I really could not ask for more._

**THE END  
****

* * *

**


End file.
